Obsessive Revenge
by Astraldust
Summary: Dr. Kavanagh’s hatred for Dr. Weir spills over into revenge and poor Sheppy gets whumped again.
1. The Desire for Retribution

**Summary:** Dr. Kavanagh's hatred for Dr. Weir spills over into revenge and poor Sheppy gets whumped - again.

**Spoiler:- ** None really. Maybe a touch of Critical Mass and Sateda

**Pairing:- **Team friendship and caring witha hint of Sparky. **No slash**

**Rating: - K+ – **Mild Language

**Disclaimer: - **I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its super characters.

Sorry, no Beta so the mistakes are all mine.

My humble apologies to any Kavanagh fans out there? He is a very bad guy in this story.

Part 1 takes place just after Critical Mass.

Part 2 onwards takes place sometime between Sateda and Progeny.

**Obsessive Revenge**

**By**

**Astraldust**

Part 1 – The Desire for Retribution

It moved with silent stealth, its prey only centimeters ahead. The night howlers helped to camouflage its presence with their noise as it prepared to strike. The small mouse like creature froze as if finally sensing the danger but the warning came too late as a painless bite struck its hind leg before it could flee. The hapless rodent would take hours to die, hours of endless agony as the toxin slowly destroyed it but the Turaka had patience and would wait, for nothing could save the victim now from the deadliest poison known to the people of the fourth planet in the Menzurian system. Known and greatly feared for one single bite meant a long and agonizing death.

-SGA-

Dr. Kavanagh stormed around his austere room like a caged tiger. He had never felt so enraged in his entire life. Even his dressing down at Yale for nearly having destroyed a science lab had been nothing compared to Weir's accusations. Then they'd had the nerve to send that ape of a man in to terrorize him. To make him confess to a crime he did not commit, and his subsequent faint had left him humiliated and seething with a rage that threatened to spill over and burst a blood vessel.

Picking up the nearest object small enough to handle, he hurled it across the confines of his room causing it to bounce back at him. Ducking just in time, the object passed harmlessly over his head to land behind the bed. Abruptly, as if its landing had been a sign, Kavanagh suddenly went deadly quiet and composed as a plan for revenge filled his mind.

Now in an almost hypnotic state, he sat himself carefully on the edge of his bed and considered his options. Losing his cool and having a stroke wasn't the way to proceed he reasoned. No, the answer lay in causing her an immense amount of motional pain and distress because as Kavanagh already told Dr. Weir, she lived by her emotions. The action shouldn't be directed towards her personally as that would be way too easy and give him no satisfaction, whatsoever. However, there was one thing that would cause her far more agony than anything else he could do and that was if something bad were to happen to her favored pretty boy, to **him**.

-SGA-

"I don't believe it!"

"What don't you believe, Dr. McKay?" asked Teyla as she calmly handed the scientist the coffee and sandwiches she had just brought him.

"Err…thanks," Rodney muttered after taking an appreciative sip of his favorite java. "Dr. Kavanagh that's what," he declared, "The creep has gone and decided to stay on in Atlantis. And after all the commotion he made about being accused of working for the Trust."

Teyla looked slightly concerned. "Yes, it does seem a little strange that he should now wish to stay with us. I do not like the man or trust him."

"I'll second that." John Sheppard agreed loudly as he entered Rodney's lab with a turkey sandwich in hand and a beaming smile on his face.

Teyla smiled back at him. "You're in a good mood."

"Yeah, I guess I am. Caldwell is on the mend and on his way back to Earth. There are no Wraith threats at the moment and I've had a record four weeks without needing the infirmary for any reason other than getting a booster shot."

Teyla exchanged a quick smile with Rodney before answering. "That is indeed worth celebrating."

"Yes, yes, I would say so." Rodney agreed but his mind was still on Kavanagh. "So why in heavens name hasn't that creep gone back to Earth with the Daedalus?"

"Elizabeth told me that he all but apologized to her instead of the other way around." John answered him. "Then he requested that he'd like to stay with us for the foreseeable future and he promised to make an effort to be more agreeable with other expedition members. He also requested more off-world missions. Elizabeth felt that she couldn't turn down his request after all she'd done to him, so we're stuck with the jerk for the time being."

Rodney's face scrunched into an expression of absolute distaste. "Well, reformed or not, he'd better stay away from me."

John looked thoughtful. "Anyway, Elizabeth doesn't entirely trust his motives, so she's…kind of…asked me to keep an eye on him. I'd be grateful if you could do the same."

"Yes, of course, Colonel, and I will tell Ronon to do so also." Teyla reasoned.

Sheppard winced at that. "Err…no, you'd better not. Ronon's idea about keeping an eye on someone usually gets a little out of hand. You know what I mean. He…err…means well but he can be a bit heavy handed sometimes."

"Yes, right," Rodney muttered, "But do you really care what happens to Kavanagh?"

John turned a pained expression towards McKay. "No, not really but he still comes under the people I need to protect and we're lucky the guy didn't just go back to Earth and sue us for assault."

"Yeah, right as if the SGC would allow that."

"Allow or not, he could still cause us a lot of trouble with the IOA." Rodney made no reply to that so after a few thoughtful moments, John spoke up again. "Oh come on, I was in a good mood until all this talk about Kavanagh. Let's forget the creep for now and go watch a movie or something?"

Rodney was going to say that he had far too much work to do to waste an evening watching a movie but the look of pleading on John's face changed his mind. An evening with his friends was just what he needed, especially as he still found it a miracle that he now had such good friends. Therefore, he drove his laptop down, garbed his coffee and sandwiches, and muttered. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

Sheppard looked at him with a frown. He had expected a negative response at the very least. Maybe Rodney was attempting to turn over a new leaf as well.

-SGA-

Not far away from McKay's lab, the subject of their discussion sat in his drab quarters with a sickly satisfied grin plastered on his countenance as he analyzed his plans for the umpteenth time.

His ponytail waggled intermittently as he moved his head with a contented nod as he mentally crossed off his progress.

Stage 1 was already accomplished, getting Weir to allow him to stay.

Stage 2 was a little unsure, as he needed to bide his time, get people to like him more and trust him until a situation came along that he could utilize.

Stage 3 was the plan itself, whatever that entailed and carrying it out.

Stage 4 was to sit back and watch as Weir agonized as Sheppard suffered before her eyes. It would take time but Kavanagh had time, all the time in the galaxy.

TBC – Hope you like the beginning and please be kind and review.


	2. Time to Make Progress

Part 2 - Time to Make Progress

A cool evening breeze swept across the Athosian encampment causing the bonfire to crackle and flare with renewed life, but the revival was short lived as the breeze died down again. Someone moved to place more wood onto the fire and the flames leapt at it with a hungry greed until the fire was once again crackling bright and giving off much appreciated warmth. It wasn't winter yet but the nights had already turned cool, so the celebrants of the impromptu party were gathered within the vicinity of the fire.

Laughter rang out from one particular direction and a lone pony-tailed head turned to observe them. His annoyance was clearly etched on his face but the dark shadows of his hiding place kept him from being noticed.

Kavanagh hated parties but when this one had been suggested, he had jumped at the opportunity to go as it gave him another chance to observe his prey. His obsession for revenge had grown over the months since his humiliation but he kept it well buried deep within him.

Stage 2 was progressing as planned and he was now an accepted member of the expedition. He'd even made some friends along the way and was given regular off-world assignments but regrettably, never with Sheppard and his team.

The scientist turned his head again towards the man in question and observed how candidly Sheppard acted with the people of Athos and his friends in Atlantis. Several children sat near his feet looking up at him with delight and adulation. Weir sat to his right equally enraptured and obviously enjoying a moment of relaxation, while McKay sat nearby stuffing himself with a plate laden with local food. Teyla was situated to Sheppard's left, along with Ronon, Beckett, several of her people and other members of the expedition, all clearly enjoying the get-together.

Again, laughter echoed across the camp as someone told another joke and Kavanagh clenched his fist with loathing and frustration. His hatred boiled and he decided that he couldn't stand here any longer and listen to their high spirits. So, he began to move towards a nearby wooded area with the intention of taking out his loathing on some poor tree or something.

With eyes almost blinded with bitterness, he didn't see the short Athosian man standing in his path until he nearly ploughed him down. The little man yelled out and staggered back, his own annoyance and bitterness written across his face.

At first, Kavanagh thought it was because of his interruption but it soon became apparent that the native had also been observing Sheppard's group. So thinking, nothing gained, nothing ventured, Kavanagh quietly asked. "Don't you like their intrusion here?"

The Athosian looked up at the tall scientist as if gauging the implication of his words. An unnatural smile crossed the natives face. "I've got nothing against your people in general. It's him I don't like."

"Him?" asked Kavanagh as if he didn't know what the man meant.

Once again, the little man weighed him up before answering. "Lieutenant Colonel - aren't we gorgeous - Sheppard," he said scowling towards the man in question.

_Ah, so it looked like the man's opinion was based on jealously_, Kavanagh thought to himself before replying. "Yes, I know what you mean. He does rather think a lot of himself, doesn't he?"

"Well, I don't know about his own ego but he has got my darling Teyla wrapped around his fingers and in her eyes, he can not do anything wrong."

Kavanagh liked what he heard and decided to feed the little man's ire. "Yes, that's so very true. I find it so unbelievable, especially after he was the one to bring disaster down on your people and wake up the Wraith."

The native nodded wildly. "Yes, the _Doucav_ did just that."

"I'm sorry but what's a Doucav?" asked Kavanagh. Although, he had a good idea it was the Athosian word for devil.

"It means evil one in our language. One who manipulates others for his own foul plans and destroys all within his path."

Even Kavanagh thought that this description of John Sheppard went a bit over the top but maybe he could utilize the man's hatred of him. So steering the Athosian away, Kavanagh found a quiet area in the woods for them to sit and talk in private.

When the little man settled down onto a fallen log, Kavanagh fished in his backpack and produced the two bottles of beer he had brought with him from Atlantis. Offering one to the Athosian, he whispered. "Was Teyla your girl before Sheppard came along?"

The man looked uncertain for a minute before he took a strong gulp from the bottle. Then as if the beer gave him courage, a look of fury crossed into his eyes. One caused by a jealous obsession. An illusion of transgressions filled his mind and his desires came to life. "She was my beloved," he fantasized, "And I'm sure we would be married by now but the Doucav changed all that. He came and bewitched her with his false and disgusting charm. He took her away from me. From all of us." Taking a swig of his beer, the man continued to rant. "She was so perfect until he came and spread his evil. She used to look at me with love but now she looks through me as if I no longer exist."

Kavanagh decided to stay silent as the man paused again to guzzle another mouth full of beer. "I want her back in my arms. I love her so much. I love her," he repeated as he clenched his hand so tightly around the bottle that Kavanagh was afraid it would break, "I want her back, but as long as the Doucav remains, she will never be mine…" The Athosian finished with a wail that threatened to spill over into sobs.

Placing a calming hand on the man's shoulder, Kavanagh let a sickly smile spread across face, one that the native didn't notice in his distress. This could be the moment he had waited for and now he was presented with someone that could be manipulated to either do the dirty deed or help him get rid of Sheppard. Taking a gamble that the man was genuine in his extreme dislike of the colonel, he asked. "If you want her back why don't you remove the Doucav?"

"How can I rid the planet of one such as him? He is powerful and has many others under his spell."

"Maybe that is the case for some, my friend, but I'm not under his spell and together we can work to free Atlantis of Sheppard. What do you think?" questioned Kavanagh.

By this time, the man was decidedly tipsy from the beer. Not enough to affect his already sick mind but enough to loosen his tongue even more. "I think that is a wonderful idea, mister….mis…?"

Kavanagh didn't want to get too personal with a near stranger, so he offered. "Just call me Kav for now. And what is your name, my friend?"

"Davon," the Athosian answered before breaking into a fit of giggles. "We make a good team. Kav and Dav, Doucav killers."

"Yes, Doucav killers, but we must make it look like an accident," Kavanagh suggested, "We don't want to land into trouble over this."

"Oh no, I want to be free to marry my darling Teyla, but how do we make it look like an accident?"

Kavanagh didn't reply for a minute as he thought of how best to approach the subject. Eventually, he murmured. "Well…a direct assault is out of the question. We need something that kills him without there being any suspicion of foul play. Say a poison that leaves no trace for Dr. Beckett's team to find or a deadly bite of a creature or something."

Davon's face suddenly lit up with a brilliant idea. "I know the very thing," he murmured. "During my travels to trade with other planets, I heard about a deadly insect that bites its victims without them even realizing it, but once someone is bitten, they die a most painful and horrendous death. The toxin is very slow acting in humans but totally fatal as there is no known cure. As you can imagine this creature is greatly feared."

"Sounds perfect, but where is this creature to be found and how do we handle such a thing?" asked Kavanagh with concern, thinking solely of his own precious skin.

"It inhabits the planet Menzur in the Menzurian system. When we get there, we need to find a man called Galen. He deals in exotic creatures including the Turaka. That's the name of the creature."

"He must be a brave fellow!"

Davon laughed out loudly and Kavanagh cringed thinking everyone would hear him. Luckily, several giggles and hiccups later, Davon sobered enough to continue. "Yes, he is but all we need to do is give him enough wealth and the creature is ours. Galen will tell us how to handle the insect correctly and how best to make sure that the Doucav is bitten."

_Yes, indeed_, Kavanagh thought to himself although, he hoped the wealth required wouldn't be beyond his means. Apart from that, this was working out fine and even though the plan would needed some refinements, it could really work. "Right, I'll see to it that you get the funds required to purchase the insect. I'm afraid, I shall have to leave that to you because getting off world alone would be impossible for me. If you can acquire the item, I'll see to it that Sheppard, I mean the Doucav is taken care of."

Davon nodded enthusiastically. "It's a deal, Kav. This trader will want some of your medicines for sure, and weapons and the like."

Kavanagh winced over the request. "Medical stuff won't be a problem but I can't get my hands on weapons, I'm afraid. The Doucav and his followers keep a tight control on them."

The Athosian stared at the scientist for a moment and for the first time Kavanagh registered the obsessive madness shining in the man's eyes. For a minute, he questioned the wisdom for involving such a man in his plans. However, the harm was already done but maybe he would need to assess the situation once the deed was completed.

Davon suddenly came out of his trance like state of insanity to reply. "All right, get what you can and we will see if it enough payment for the trader."

"It's a deal, Dav. Now we must rejoin the party and act as if nothing has happened." Kavanagh ordered and the man gave a curt nod. "I'll get back to you as soon as possible but don't worry if you don't hear from me for a few days or so. Above all else, this is our plan and must remain our secret. Is that understood?"

Again, Davon nodded with a hiccup as he lifted the now empty bottle to his lips. A look of utter disappointment across his face at finding it empty, but it vanished quickly as he gestured with the bottle. "Here's to Dav and Kav, Doucav destroyers."

"Yes, to Dav and Kav," Kavanagh toasted the man with his almost full bottle.

-SGA-

John Sheppard looked around the briefing room to catch Elizabeth's eye. She smiled warmly at him before asking. "Have you got anything to add, Colonel?"

"No, not really, it seems a little strange that the Sovian people have suddenly changed their minds about letting us explore their Ancient ruins. I mean aren't they the very people that ran Lorne's team off their planet several weeks back."

"Yes, they are, but they maintain that it was a little misunderstanding and as long as we abide by their rules and don't interfere or try to contact them during the stay, they will allow us full access to the site for three of their planetary cycles."

John looked at the others. "Oh terrific, three long days babysitting a group of scientists," he mumbled.

Elizabeth looked thoughtful, as she knew how much John hated this kind of work. "Your team doesn't have to go, John. We could give this one over to Captain Clarkson's team."

John was just about to answer her when McKay interrupted them. "You know I'm kind of interested in those ruins and I would like to be part of that team."

Sheppard sighed loudly. "That's decided then. If Rodney wants to go, we all go."

Elizabeth nodded. "If you're sure?"

"Yep, I'm sure. Why don't you go find yourself some fellow explorers, Rodney and I'll organize the logistics for our stay."

Before Sheppard had hardly finished the sentence, Rodney was out of his seat and quickly disappeared.

"I would say he's enthusiastic about this." Elizabeth commented to the others.

"Yeah, he is but we're not, isn't that so?" asked John, pointedly looking towards Teyla and Ronon.

They both nodded but seemed resigned to their babysitting duties.

Tbc

_Hi there, hope you liked this chapter and thanks for all the great reviews to date. One little note, I've changed the spelling of Kavanagh's name after finding out on GateWorld that it hasn't got a - **u** - in it. I always thought it was spelt Kavanaugh. _


	3. Don't Drink Coffee on a Bad Stomach

Part 3 – Don't Drink Coffee on a Bad Stomach

When Kavanagh heard about the expedition Sheppard was heading, he jumped at the opportunity to go. He'd been waiting for this chance for a week or so now in nervous anticipation, ever since Davon had obtained the Turaka.

The nightmarish thing had been living in his room far too long for Kavanagh's liking. Although, the bug was housed in a strong cage, the scientist wasn't taking any chances as he carefully followed Davon's instructions to the book, 'Keep the creature well fed and nothing will happen,' the little man had insisted. Kavanagh was doing just that.

Procuring the ugly little jet-black insect had gone relatively well and the trader had taken the offered goods without question. Some poor drudge had taken the rap when a shipment of medical supplies had come up short. His signature was all over the manifest and although he denied any knowledge of the missing goods, Kavanagh had made sure that the finger had pointed squarely to him.

The scientist let a sickly smile spread over his face as he carefully placed the small cage into his backpack along with his other belongings. Getting Weir to agree with his request had been very easy as she was still on her guilt trip. Sheppard and McKay had been another matter but in the end, Weir had overruled them and given him the green light.

A plan of bug deployment was slowly forming in Kavanagh's mind and because the stay was over several days, the team would be required to camp out at night. He'd done his homework well and had learnt of the colonel's habits on such occasions. After setting up camp, it seemed the man liked to take first watch and then Ronon or Teyla would replace him. They all had their own small army issue tents and sleeping bags clearly marked with their names, and because the climate would be cold at night it was a safe bet that Sheppard would snuggle into his for warmth. All Kavanagh had to do was make sure that the colonel wasn't alone in his sleeping bag.

-SGA-

Rodney's insistent prodding brought John out of his cozy sleep. "What ya want, McKay?" he slurred as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Just came to tell you that its morning already, sleepyhead, and I thought you'd like some freshly made coffee?"

"Morning? Wow, the fresh air on this planet is sure making me sleep well." Then suddenly realizing what Rodney had said, John quickly unzipped one side of his sleeping bag and sat up. A wave of dizziness passed over him but he put it down to sitting up too quickly. "You brought me coffee?" he asked with hope.

"What? Oh no, no, I just came to tell you we've made some."

John struggled to standup as another dizzy spell rushed through his head. He quickly hid his discomfort from Rodney by grumbling. "Thanks a lot, Rodney. You know sometimes a little kind thought would be nice, like bringing a friend a cup of coffee."

"What am I suddenly your servant or some…?" But Rodney abruptly stopped in mid-sentence as he watched Sheppard struggling to rise. "Are you alright?" he questioned.

John looked at him blearily as he finally managed to get his bare feet to remain firmly planted on the ground. "What? Oh yeah, just a little woozy this morning. I guess I need that coffee you didn't bring me."

For once McKay actually looked a little sheepish. "Okay, I'll get you one."

"Na, it's alright, I'm up now so I'll get my own." Sheppard answered as he slipped on his sneakers. Stepping out of the tent, he moved off in the direction of the cooking area near the parked jumper. Dressed in a dark blue tracksuit at least he was fairly well covered against the morning chill but it promised to be another fine and warm day once the sun managed to climb above the trees.

McKay watched him go for a minute before moving to follow. The colonel's steps seemed a little uncertain as he walked the short distance between his tent and coffee pot causing Rodney to frown. Pushing his unease aside, McKay turned his attention towards the mist-covered ruins as he walked. This was their last full day on the planet and as of yet, nothing of any real value had been uncovered but he was still sure that something was bound to turn up eventually. He'd even considered asking Sheppard if they could at least stay another day or two before remembering that the Sovians had insistence that the trip be for three days duration only.

John eventually made it to the coffee pot only to find that the darn thing was empty. Kavanagh and four of his fellow scientists sat near the small refreshment table they had set up happily drinking huge mugs of the coffee and stuffing their faces full with the last of the bagels brought in from Atlantis. Ronon and Teyla had obviously had their fill and were working out on a grass strip between the jumper and the ruins, while the two marines they had brought with them stood guard amongst the ruins.

Resigned, John grabbed a water bottle and drank a small draft before replacing the cap just as McKay came alongside and inspected the coffee pot. "Okay, who's the greedy son of a bitch that emptied this?" he asked in an angry tone towards the scientists.

A sea of shaking heads answered him, as no one was willing to admit fault. With a growl, McKay turned to Sheppard and muttered. "I'll put a fresh pot on."

The water in John's stomach swirled alarmingly and suddenly the thought of coffee made him feel darn right sick. Hiding his discomfort again, he murmured. "Don't bother, Rodney, I'll stick to water. It's healthier anyway."

McKay grunted. "Whatever, but I need some more java before starting work so it's going back on." Without another word, he started to fill the machine again.

John watched him for a second before grabbing a dry biscuit and making for the interior of the jumper. He would try to eat the thing but the way he felt this morning, he doubted it. _Must be coming down with something,_ he vaguely thought as he took a tentative bite.

Kavanagh watched the whole exchange between Sheppard and McKay with interest. Stage 3 seemed to be progressing nicely towards stage 4. It had taken a while to plant the bug but last night the opportunity had arisen when most of the team including Sheppard had been distracted during a minor accident. So now, all he had to do was recover the bug.

Breaking away from the others, he furtively slipped into Sheppard's tent. Quickly moving over to the sleeping bag, he carefully inspected the ground around it but there was no sign of the Turaka. Therefore, either it had crawled off somewhere or the insect was still tucked up within the cocoon shaped sleeping bag. Which was more likely the case because Davon had explained that the thing wouldn't venture far in the dark and warm environment of the sleeping bag. If it was still in there then the scientist needed to get the thing out.

A little hesitantly at first, he was just about to unzip the closed side when Teyla's shadow moved over him. "What are you doing here, Dr. Kavanagh?"

Kavanagh quickly straightened the military issue sleeping bag, thumping it a few times for good measure and then he went about folding it up into a neat bundle. "I'm just helping to clear up the camp this morning. I do believe it is my turn."

Teyla looked at him strangely. "I did not see you helping the others and I think the Colonel is perfectly capable of folding his own sleeping bag."

"Yes, I'm sure he is but he doesn't look too wonderful this morning, consequently I'm trying to help."

His words caught Teyla's attention, as she hadn't seen John up close yet. "I will take his things to the jumper. I expect he would like a little privacy to get dressed." Saying no more, she grabbed the sleeping bag from Kavanagh and collected John's neatly folded clothes. Marching out of the tent, she headed for the jumper.

The scientist watched her go in annoyance. The damn woman just had to interfere right at that very moment but no matter, he would deal with the sleeping bag later.

Teyla stormed into the jumper still annoyed with the pony-tailed scientist but her irk quickly dissolved when she caught sight of Sheppard. Seeing him listlessly lift the half-eaten biscuit to his mouth, she watched him take a reluctant bite. "Are you all right?" she called to him.

John looked up from the monumental task of eating one small tasteless cookie to look her blearily in the eye. "I've felt better. I must have eaten something disagreeable last night."

Teyla moved to stand over him, worried because it was rare for the colonel to admit illness. "We all had the same and no one else is complaining this morning."

"Yeah, just my luck to get the rotten bit."

Teyla lifted a hand to his forehead and finding no sign of fever, she asked. "Is it just your stomach that is feeling bad?"

John hesitated before answering her question. In truth, he was beginning to feel really terrible but he couldn't pin point the symptoms to any specific area except his nauseous stomach. Pushing it aside, he told her. "I'm feeling queasy but I haven't actually been sick. I'm sure it will pass off soon."

"I hope you are right, John. Don't worry about doing anything until you feel better. We will look after the scientists."

John nodded in agreement just as McKay marched into the jumper carrying a steaming mug of coffee. "I know you said you didn't want any coffee but I'm sure it will do you the world of good so here you are, your Colonelship." Rodney finished brandishing the mug under John's nose.

Sheppard exchanged a weary look with Teyla before she spoke up. "Dr. McKay, the Colonel is feeling a little under the weather, I am not sure coffee is the best remedy right now."

Putting up his hand, Sheppard forestalled Rodney before he could say anything. He didn't really feel like hearing one of Rodney's rants, so he said. "Its okay, Teyla, it's the thought that counts. You could be right, McKay. I'll try to drink some of it when it's cooled. Right now, I need to get dressed, so could you please both leave me in peace for a minute."

"Colonel, you need to rest," insisted Teyla.

Putting on a brave face, Sheppard answered her. "Maybe I need to move about and do something. You know get the circulation moving and all." Then without further a do, he made to stand up but the jumper's interior started to swim before his eyes as his stomach tried to turn in on itself. "On the other hand maybe not." John whispered, sitting himself back down with a heavy thud.

Teyla quickly grabbed John's sleeping bag and spread it out across one of the benches like sheet. "Come on, I think you had better lie down for a while."

John looked at her blearily. "I will in a minute but first, I'll try to drink some of the coffee."

Teyla was just about to argue that coffee wasn't the best thing on a bad stomach but John had already taken a few gulps of the strong brew. Both Teyla and Rodney waited in trepidation to see what the result would be but after several minutes, Sheppard took a few more sips of the drink until the mug was empty. "It helped a little but I think I will lie down for a while," John muttered to the others.

"Fine, you do what you like but I need to explore further, especially as this is our last day here." Rodney grouched as he picked up the now empty mug and strode out of the ship.

Teyla sighed as she helped John stand up. "I sure he did not mean to be so rude. He is just worried about you."

"Yeah, I know." John answered as he allowed the Athosian girl to help him over to the bench. Settling on top of his sleeping bag, he felt Teyla cover him with a blanket as he drifted off to sleep.

Teyla quietly watched him for a few minutes before stepping out of the jumper. Her face was etched with worried which quickly changed to annoyance when she found Dr. Kavanagh hovering near the hatchway.

"How is the Colonel?" asked Kavanagh before she could say anything.

"He is resting, so please do not disturb him." Teyla answered the doctor. She noted that although he seemed somewhat worried, she could not shake the feeling that it wasn't sincere. "I believe he has eaten something that has not agreed with him. Therefore it is best that he sleeps it off," she concluded.

Kavanagh nodded in agreement and watched as the Athosian walked away until she was out of sight. _Food poisoning. That's what you think_, he laughed silently before slipping inside the jumper with the intent of finding the annoying sleeping bag. However, he came to a sudden halt when he spied the desired item firmly placed under the sleeping pilot.

"Oh damn," he muttered quietly, as there was no way he could inspect the sleeping bag now. He made to leave when Sheppard suddenly cried out and turned over onto his side to spew a stream of coffee, cookie and stomach acid onto the jumper's floor. Kavanagh leapt back and shouted, "Oh damn!" again as some of the offensive liquid splattered his gray pants.

Sheppard didn't seem to hear him as he rolled about in obvious discomfort on top of the bench. Deciding to make a hasty retreat, Kavanagh quickly backed out thinking that maybe he should go and call Teyla back.

Reaching the hatchway, he abruptly turned only to come face to face with a very angry Ronon Dex. "What the hell are you doing here?" The large Satedan growled.

Kavanagh stammered. "I…err…I heard the Colonel cry out, he's been sick. I was just going to get help."

"Yeah, I bet." Ronon muttered darkly but his irritation was cut short when Sheppard cried out again and the rest of his coffee hit the floor. Suddenly all business like, Ronon ordered. "Go and get Teyla now!" Kavanagh wasted no time in running off.

Putting on an act of concern, Kavanagh returned five minutes later with an apprehensive Teyla in tow. They both entered the jumper to find Ronon sitting behind Sheppard, keeping him upright. John looked decidedly green and waxy as Ronon explained. "He started to choke."

"Is he all right now?" Teyla asked with great concern.

"Yeah, sitting him up cleared his throat."

Before going over to them, Teyla rummaged in a storage compartment and found some of the granules they usually used for spillages. She spread a good coating over the floor and immediately the liquid was soaked up. However, a strong smell still permeated the interior making Kavanagh feel decidedly nauseous. As the others were preoccupied, he crept out to stand nearer the open hatchway.

Unconcerned by the doctor's disappearance, Teyla sat herself on the edge of the bench near John and Ronon and softly spoke. "I will get Rodney and the others, Colonel. I think we need to get you home."

John looked at her blearily, his eyes showed embarrassment and something more, but Teyla couldn't put a finger on it. "No, don't do that, it's just a stomach problem. Let Rodney finish his explorations and then we'll all go home later."

Teyla protested. "I think Dr. Beckett should look at you now. I do not like the way you look."

A small smile crossed John's pallid face as he tried to joke with her. "I didn't think I was that bad looking." He looked sheepish as an air of exasperation crossed her beautiful face. "No, really, I'm beginning to feel a little better already, just let me sleep it off. Okay?"

Teyla shook her head in frustration. "All right but if it does not improve, we are going home. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," John tried to joke again but a sense of drowsiness began to coat his brain like so much cotton wool.

That was until he heard Rodney shouting from the hatchway. "I'm not coming in any further. It smells…."

"McKay!" Ronon growled. "Shut your mouth".

John cringed over the loudness of both their voices. "I'm sorry, Rodney. Why don't you go back to work?" he muttered

"Yes, I…err…only came to see how you are?"

"I'm fine. Now just let me sleep."

tbc

Thanks for all your great reviews. Please continue reviewing it helps move the story along.


	4. I Told You So

Part 4 - I Told You So

The day progressed far too quickly for McKay's liking and before he knew it, the others were calling him back to the jumper. He still hadn't found anything of great value, which probably meant that there was nothing here anyway. Resigned, he packed up his equipment and headed back.

Everyone was gathered near or by the jumper when Rodney approached. He was mildly surprised to find Sheppard sitting outside instead of resting inside. The colonel looked slightly better but dark rings left shadows under his eyes. "So it was just a stomach bug then?" Rodney called to him.

Sheppard looked up at his friend with a sickly expression. "I told you not to mention bugs around me again, Rodney, but yeah, I guess it must have been. I've slept most of the day. I still feel a bit queasy but it's much better already."

Kavanagh couldn't help but overhear their conversation and a slight shadow crossed his face at the colonel's mention of feeling better. A question flashed though his mind. _How could that be?_ _He's supposed to get worse not better._ For a minute, he wondered if the Turaka had bitten Sheppard.

Resigned to wait and see, the slimy scientist called over, "That's good to hear, Colonel," before entering the jumper to deposit his things. Quickly looking around, Kavanagh noted that the sleeping bag had been folded up and put with the others. As he wouldn't be alone in the vehicle for very long, he determined that getting to it at the moment was once again out of the question.

Outside the jumper, the rest of the team gathered up their belongings and prepared to leave. Sheppard stood up on slightly shaky legs, all set to enter the jumper in order to fly them home. Rodney watched him go and shook his head in disbelief before catching up with him. Putting his hand on the pilot's shoulder, he said. "Come on, it's not a difficult flight. Sit back and I'll get us home."

John wanted to protest but his vision suddenly swam reminding him that he still wasn't one hundred percent, so he relented. "Okay, as long as you don't leave the controls unattended again."

"You're not going to let me forget that are you?" McKay complained as he followed Sheppard towards the front of the jumper.

John called over his shoulder. "Nope!"

The journey back to Atlantis passed by uneventfully, as Rodney's piloting skills had greatly improved over the last year. As soon as the jumper was safely relocated in its bay, the first group of weary scientists and soldiers left to report to the infirmary for the routine check-up leaving just Sheppard and his team behind.

Teyla glanced at the colonel. "Can you walk to the infirmary or shall I call for assistance?"

"Heck no, Teyla, I can make it." John replied as he eased himself carefully out of the chair behind Rodney. Another dizzy spell hit him but he pushed it to the furthest corner of his mind thinking that it was caused by a lack of food. Slightly unsteadily, he walked determinedly towards the hatch and noted that Dr. Kavanagh still hovering around. "Why are you still here?" he questioned the irritating man.

"I…err…forgot something." Kavanagh stuttered slightly.

"Well get it quickly and come with us. We're locking this jumper up until a crew can clean the mess up." Sheppard replied somewhat embarrassed.

Kavanagh gritted his teeth as the team waited for him. Another opportunity missed.

-SGA-

The infirmary was still busy when they eventually arrived fifteen minutes later. Carson had been informed about the colonel's stomach problem and as soon as the man walked in, he appeared at John's side. "Still feeling sick are we, son?" he asked as he guided Sheppard over to the nearest couch.

Sheppard answered quickly. "Not as bad as it was."

"Aye, okay but have ya had anything to eat at all today?"

Teyla stepped in with the answer before John could open his mouth. "The Colonel has eaten nothing since he was sick but he did drink some water and managed to keep it down."

"That's good to hear. Now if ya could lie down for me, I'd like to feel your stomach." John eased himself up onto the couch and pulled his tracksuit top up. Carson gently felt around his stomach area for hardness or swelling. "Did ya eat anything different from the others?"

"Nope, we all ate the same."

Carson didn't like to imply that John would be stupid enough to ingest any alien fruit or anything but he had to ask. "How about something on the planet?"

Sheppard gave him a pained expression. "Wrong guy, doc," he answered, looking blatantly towards McKay.

"Hey, I heard that! Anybody would think I ate all and sundry!" McKay shouted.

Ronon and Teyla's titters could be heard from where they stood, but John's only answer was to give another pained expression and not entirely brought on by Rodney's denial as Carson found a tender stop.

Carson straightened from his examination. "I'll take some blood and have it checked but it does seem to be the stomach flu. Ya have no temperature and everything else checks out, so ya should feel better soon. I want ya to give your stomach a rest until tomorrow morning, so its fluids only, I'm afraid."

"That's okay, doc, I don't really feel like eating at the moment anyway."

"Okay then. I'll just take the blood sample and then you can go to ya room for a good nights sleep."

Just as Carson finished talking Elizabeth entered the infirmary. She looked over to John, her face a mask of worry. "I've heard you're not well," she asked with concern, noting John's paler then normal complexion.

John didn't get to reply as Carson spoke for him. "He's a little under the weather with a wee touch of stomach flu. I'm sure he'll be fine in a few days time."

Elizabeth smiled with relief. "That's good to hear. Why don't you all get to bed now and I'll see you tomorrow at 0900 for a debriefing."

Everyone nodded in agreement, as Elizabeth left for her own bed.

-SGA-

John was grateful to reach the solitude of his own quarters and although he felt a little better, he couldn't help thinking that something was slightly off. As it was already way past midnight and his bed did look awfully inviting, he decided to take Carson and Elizabeth's advice. So, after a quick shower and change into some comfortable nightwear, he crashed out and slept soundly.

-SGA-

The next morning, Elizabeth gathered everyone into the briefing room at the prearranged time. With all the mission's personnel gathered, the room was a little cramped. However, she really needed to hear everyone's evaluation regarding the mission even though Rodney had already insisted that there was very little to report but protocol made the debriefing necessary.

Sheppard arrived a few minutes late and Elizabeth was pleased to note that he seemed a little brighter but his handsome face was still pale and drawn. "Sorry," he muttered as he took the seat that had been left vacant for him.

He didn't say anymore, so Elizabeth began. "All right, now that we're all here let's make this debriefing as short as possible, shall we? I understand from Dr. McKay that the ruins turned up nothing useful?"

The scientists all nodded but then they went on about the various things they had noticed, describing at great length every little detail.

Kavanagh added a few comments of his own but every now and again, he would glance over towards Sheppard in confusion. He couldn't believe that the man was still functioning and inwardly cursed as it probably meant one thing, the Turaka hadn't bitten him. Frustrated, he turned his full attention back to the debriefing.

The meeting went on far longer than Elizabeth would have liked but eventually it ended and she gave a grateful sigh as the scientists gathered up their reports to leave. She glanced over at Teyla and exchanged an understanding smile with the young woman. They had grown close since the whole Hive ship nearly getting to Earth debacle.

She moved her gaze to rest on John, who had remained unusually quiet during the meeting. "Are you feeling any better this morning, John?" she asked him.

For a minute, John's look seemed unfocused and distant before he turned towards her. "What? Oh, I'm good."

Elizabeth let her eyes stay on him. "That's good to hear but all the same, I suggest that you take it easy today. I hope you had some breakfast before this meeting?"

John looked a little guilty. "I overslept, so I had to skip breakfast."

Rodney overheard him and looked concerned. "I could do with another coffee," he stated, "so why don't we go get something before the breakfast shift is over?"

John didn't like to turn his friend down as he really didn't feel like eating. On the other hand, he'd gone over twenty six hours since his last meal, so he relented. "Okay, but after yesterday, I'm not touching coffee again for a few days. I'll grab a bowl of cereal or something and a juice."

Rodney nodded in agreement and the two men left Elizabeth, Teyla, and Ronon alone.

The two women exchanged another look before Teyla spoke up. "I do believe the Colonel is still a little under the weather."

Ronon growled something under his breath just as Carson entered the room. "I was hoping to find Colonel Sheppard here," he commented looking at the room's three occupants.

"He left about two minutes ago with Rodney," Elizabeth informed him. "They were heading for the main dining area for breakfast."

"Oh really, so he's feeling a mite better this morning?"

Elizabeth was confused as to why Carson would believe that John shouldn't be feeling better. "Is there a problem?" she asked needing answers.

"Oh, no, not really. His blood work came back and it shows that he is fighting some form of viral or bacterial infection. So, I guess that he's suffering from a wee bout of gastric flu like I first suspected. He should be as right as rain in a few days time."

Elizabeth looked relieved and smiled. "That's good to hear. Put him on light duty only, Carson and I'll make sure he sticks to it."

"Aye, okay. Well, I'd better go and find him."

Elizabeth nodded as the doctor left the room and turning to Ronon and Teyla, she whispered. "I'd like you two to keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't overdo things." They both nodded and got up to leave the room. "But do it discreetly, you know how much he hates being mothered."

Teyla smiled. "We will."

tbc

Thanks for all your super reviews. Please keep them coming!


	5. It's Your Funeral

Part 5 – It's Your Funeral

Kavanagh observed McKay, Beckett, and Sheppard from his vantage point over by the far wall of the main dining area. The table the scientist had chosen gave him a good view of his victim as he closely scrutinized him for any sign of disability. Although the colonel was obliviously still on his feet, Kavanagh was delighted to note that the man was beginning to look decidedly unwell, so he tired to convince himself that the bug had indeed struck.

Munching on his toast, Kavanagh's pony-tailed head turned as he watched the three men get up and leave the room, which meant he was also free to go and do what was necessary. To remove the damn bug from Sheppard's sleeping bag. So leaving his half-finished toast and cold coffee, he rushed towards the jumper bay.

He'd already tried to get access to the jumper right after the meeting but the flyer had still been locked up tight. Now, he was hoping that the clean-up crews had unlocked the vehicle but hadn't started to clean it up yet. However, as he entered the bay his heart fell when he saw several workers already busy cleaning the Ancient vehicle's interior.

One of them looked up as Kavanagh approached. "What do you want, doctor?"

The scientist searched his brain for a quick answer. "I…err…left something important behind yesterday and they sealed the Jumper before I could retrieve it."

The man looked at his companion as if to say, typical egghead before replying. "What did you leave behind, 'cause maybe we found it?"

Curbing his temper, Kavanagh smiled sweetly at them. "A data disc with some very important information on it."

"Huh…couldn't have been that important or you wouldn't have left it behind, would you?"

"I was very concerned about Colonel Sheppard at the time." Kavanagh lied through his teeth.

The other man gave him a skeptical look and muttered. "Yeah, I'm sure you were."

Kavanagh heard him but chose to ignore him. "Look it will only take a few minutes. I think I left it in my sleeping bag, so if you could just allow…."

"If that's the case you're too late," The first man interrupted. "The sleeping bags 'ave all gone off to the laundry to be cleaned."

"What! Oh, shit!" Kavanagh proclaimed as he rushed out of the bay.

The two men looked at each other again. "Sneaky creep that one," observed the first man.

"Yeah, never did like him," replied the second man.

-SGA-

Five minutes later, Kavanagh came to a halt in front of the laundry and slowed his breathing before calmly walking into the noisy room.

Several large washers were tumbling clothes around in the never-ending process of keeping the expedition members in clean clothing, fresh bedding, and the other multiple items that required washing. The room was lined with over six machines brought out from Earth, which was a great improvement from the early days when doing laundry had been a big problem. For some reason, nobody had yet figured out where the Ancients had kept their laundry machines or even how they had gone about doing their washing. Maybe one day when the whole of Atlantis had been explored, the mystery would finely be solved.

The scientist glazed over at the machines just as the supervisor Alison Gibson walked up to him. "Can I help you with something, Doctor Kavanagh?" she asked politely.

"Yes, I'm looking for the sleeping bags brought in from Jumper 1 this morning."

She looked at him puzzled. "Why do you want them?"

Kavanagh was beginning to grow very tired of this game and his temper showed in his reply. "Because I left a data disc in mine and I want it back before the thing ends up in the washer!"

The supervisor was willing to be helpful but his attitude set her on edge. "They're being stored in the back room at the moment and as Colonel Sheppard's team is laid up for a few days while the poor man gets over his stomach flu, they won't end up in the washer until tomorrow. I'll get you yours in a minute."

"I can do it myself!" Kavanagh shouted to her back as she wandered off.

She turned back to him with fire in her eyes. "You stay right where you are, mister. No one and I mean no one, disturbs my sorting room!"

"If that's the way you want it then it's your funeral." Kavanagh proclaimed before realizing what he'd said.

She came back to him now and stood with her feet firmly planted on the ground. Even though she was a mere five foot in height, Kavanagh suddenly felt like a small child. "What do you mean by that, doctor," she ground out.

"I…err…I.

She didn't give him chance to say more as she stuck her finger in his face, "Because if you think you can report me over this matter, then think again."

"I wouldn't do that and I'm sorry. Now if you could just let me have the sleeping bag I used, I'll be out of your hair in no time."

"You'd better be," she muttered as she marched off towards the precious sorting room.

A few minutes later, she returned and literally threw the sleeping bag at the tall scientist. He made a show of searching through it but of course, nothing turned up. With an apologetic smile, he quickly disappeared.

-SGA-

Normally a man of action, John found light duty to be the biggest bore out and although he had once admitted to being lazy to Ronon, he was only referring to actually having to fight hand to hand. His normal preference was having something interesting to do and problems to solve, so sitting in front of his computer and typing reports was a tedious task at the best of times. Consequently, the day proceeded at a snails pace.

Beckett had explained his findings to him at breakfast, so Sheppard put his continuing dizziness, nausea, and occasional bouts of actual sickness down to that. He'd had lunch several hours ago, although he had to admit that half a turkey sandwich hardly classified as lunch. Nevertheless, he was thankful that the sandwich had actually stayed down, along with the glass of water that Teyla had insisted he drank.

After lunch, he had returned to his quarters to take a little nap and upon waking, he'd attempted to do some paper work. However, it was becoming more of a task to concentrate on the screen as his eyes kept blurring every few minutes. His head felt stuffed with cotton wool as a throbbing headache began to form across his forehead. The vague feeling of unease that he'd felt since yesterday still persisted, so he decided to call it a day and sleep some more.

Moving out of his chair like an old man, he was distressed when another wave of dizziness hit him and the sandwich threatened to make its comeback. Determinedly, he gritted his teeth and headed for his bed intending to sleep it off.

However before he could hit the mattress, his earpiece came alive with Lieutenant Kagan's worried voice. "Sorry to disturb you, sir, but we have a situation in the training room."

"What kind of situation, Lieutenant?"

"Corporal Higgins and Sergeant Mason got into a fight, sir, and the Corporal broke the Sergeants nose."

John closed his eyes trying to calm his growing anger towards the hotheaded young marine who had caused him so much agro since arriving in Atlantis three weeks ago. Although, he certainly didn't feel like dealing with this matter right now, he knew he couldn't leave the transgression unattended. Sighing, he replied. "I'll be along in a minute, Lieutenant."

"Alright, sir."

The slight adrenaline rush actually made him feel faintly better. So without another thought, he headed for the training room.

Arriving some minutes later feeling somewhat out of breath and extremely light headed, John found several marines milling around along with Lieutenant Kagan and Corporal Higgins. Everyone came to attention at the sight of him.

"Sir!" They all called in unison.

"Okay, let's hear it," he mumbled looking around at the fuzzy sea of faces as his eyes suddenly refused to focus properly. "Where's Mason?"

"Gone to the infirmary, sir." The lieutenant answered him.

"Okay, I'll get his version of events later. What have you got to say for yourself, Corporal?" Sheppard whispered through his increasing wooziness and white noise that now filled his brain to rhythm of his pounding heart.

"He started it, sir." The corporal's voice echoed from where he was still standing at attention. "He called me a useless waste of shit, sir! Just because I…" However, the corporal didn't finish his sentence as everyone's attention rapidly turned to their CO.

The colonel stood staring straight-ahead with glassy eyes and an extremely pallid complexion, and then without warning, he swayed to one side before collapsing heavily at Lieutenant Kagan's feet.

Kagan felt like having a panic attack, but the lieutenant remained calm and quickly bent to check his commanding officer's pulse. He didn't like the continuing ashen tone of the colonel's face or the violent tremors that had started to shake his entire body.

Sheppard suddenly cried out as if in a great deal of discomfort. Without hesitation, the lieutenant shouted. "Someone call for help!"

tbc

Thanks again for your wonderful reviews. The next bit will be up in a couple of days.


	6. The Slow Descent to Hell

_Thanks for your advice Stargatejunkie. I didn't realize I'd written that twice, so I've changed it slightly. It must come from the fact that I grew up in Shakespeare country. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review. _

Part 6 – The Slow Descent to Hell

Carson was busy attending to Sgt. Mason's nose when the call came in. "What's the Colonel's symptoms, son," he asked the panicky marine on the other end of the radio.

"He's having some kind of seizure, doc, and he looks real bad."

"All right, son. What's he wearing?"

The marine sounded confused by this request. "Err…black t-shirt and tracksuit bottom."

"So nothing constricting then," Carson murmured more to himself. "Okay, son, turn him onto his side so he doesn't choke if he's sick and we'll be along as soon as I can."

-SGA-

They say that news travels faster around Atlantis than molecules down a wormhole, so it came as no surprise that Elizabeth received news of John's collapse only minutes after Carson. Dropping everything she was doing, she rushed from her office making the gate personnel wonder where the fire was.

Someone in the know, whispered. "Sheppard's been taken very ill in the training room." Which caused a sea of worried faces to follow her as they watched her disappeared from sight.

Down in the training room, Lieutenant Kagan anxiously waited for the medical teams' arrival. They had Sheppard on his side, which was fortunate because the man had been violently sick only seconds after the marine had finished talking to Dr. Beckett.

Someone placed a rolled up jacket under the colonel's head as he cried out again and another wave of sickness overcame him as he retched on nothing but bile. A thin film of perspiration covered his deadly ashen face as he curled upon himself in some degree of agony. The tremors still shuddered throughout his body at intervals as if he was suffering from shock.

The lieutenant watched in helplessness, as he really didn't know what more he could do to try to ease his CO's obvious discomfort. Turning to Corporal Higgins, he ordered. "Go to your quarters for now, Corporal. The Colonel will sort this out when he's feeling better."

Expecting to see an insolent expression on the man's face, Kagan was surprised to see a look of genuine concern. "Yes, sir!" The corporal saluted. "May I speak, sir?"

"Yes, of course."

The lieutenant naturally thought the young soldier wanted to speak to him but Higgins looked down towards Sheppard. "I'm so sorry I've caused you so much trouble, sir. You're a great commander, sir," he saluted. Then looking up at the lieutenant, he whispered. "He will be alright, won't he?"

Kagan didn't have a chance to answer as the ever-cheerful voice of Dr. Beckett called, "I'm sure he will be, lad!" as he entered the room with several assistants. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the doctor bent down to look at Sheppard. "Right let's see what the problem is this time, s…Colonel." Carson was just about to call John, son, but deemed it inappropriate in front of his men.

Carson did a quick check while John was still on the floor before instructing his team to lift him up onto the gurney. He didn't like the pallor of John's face or the tremors that still persisted to jolt his body. Sheppard was conscious but seemed unaware of his surroundings.

Beckett tried talking to him. "Are ya in any pain, Colonel?" Which was a stupid question as it was plain to see that John was in considerable agony.

However, John endeavored to focus on Carson's face but the very act of keeping the pain at bay left him exhausted, so he simply nodded.

"Can ya tell me where it hurts?" John didn't answer as a low and agonizing cry escaped his lips. "Right, let's waste no more time in getting him to the infirmary."

They were just about to leave when Elizabeth rushed into the training room. She quickly moved over to John and was appalled to see how ill he looked. "Carson?"

"I can't tell ya what's ailing him, right now. It could still be gastric flu but I'm being to doubt it. We'll run some tests and we'll soon get to the bottom of the problem, I sure."

"I'm sure you will, Carson." Grabbing John's hand, she whispered. "Hand on in there, Colonel." His only answer was another agonizing groan.

-SGA-

Down in a laboratory many corridors away from the training room, McKay was engrossed in his computer trying to fix the latest little glitch that had occurred in one of their naquadah generators. Although they no longer relied so heavily on them since acquiring a ZPM, the generators were still used as back up when the ZPM was down and to constantly power less vital systems such as electricity for the kitchens and like the one giving trouble, the laundry. The supervisor had been very annoyed when the machines had suddenly shut down and had threaten McKay with no clean laundry for over a year if he didn't move his ass and fix the thing.

Frustrated, McKay began to wish that Sam Carter were still here, but SG-1 had been gone for some weeks now. Mind you, he wouldn't have wanted her to actually fix the problem since he was the resident genius here. No, but she could have just given him support and a little comfort, now that would have been nice.

He was suddenly jolted out of his daydreaming when Zelenka wandered into the lab. "Have you heard that Colonel Sheppard collapsed in the training room a little while back and is seriously ill?"

McKay glanced up, a look of concern plastered on his face. "What? No, no, I've been busy with this generator. What's wrong with him?"

"I hear he has a seizure of some kind. Is in a great deal of pain." The Czech's English wasn't so wonderful when he was worried and Rodney knew Radek considered Sheppard a friend.

Rodney was now torn between going to check on his friend and fixing the generator. A vision of piles of dirty socks swam before his eyes but he pushed it away as concern for John was worth far more than his dirty socks.

Radek must have seen his indecision, so he came over, pushed up his glasses, and said. "Put your mind at rest and go to see how he is, Rodney. I will fix this problem here."

"No, no, you might blow us all up."

Radek didn't want to argue with the egoistical man but Rodney pushed his button every time. He let out a curse in Czech before calming down. "McKay, I am just as capable of fixing this as you are. Now please go and see how our friend is doing."

With a huff, McKay shut off his computer. "Right, don't blame me when things go wrong." Saying no more, he quickened his pace as he left the lab.

-SGA-

By the time the news reached Kavanagh ears, the rumor mill had exaggerated the problem ten fold. A young technical, who Kavanagh knew had a big crush on Sheppard, started to tell him the news and the scientist even thought he detected tears in her eyes as she went on to describe how dangerously ill the colonel was. As she finished her account, she turned away from him and missed the smarmy smile that crossed Kavanagh's lips and the fact that he made a hasty exit with the intention of having a look at Sheppard and offering his deepest regret to all concerned.

The scientist quickly made his way towards the infirmary but just as he was about to enter the room, he collided with Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan as they came storming up to him. Ronon gave an angry growl as Kavanagh quickly stepped out of his way.

"What are you doing here, Dr. Kavanagh?" Teyla inquired sweetly.

"I heard about the Colonel and I just wanted to see how he was."

"You have never bothered to show your concern before," Teyla noted, "So why now"?

"Why shouldn't I show concern? I mean, I was on the mission when he was first taken ill."

Teyla looked at him closely. "But you have never confessed to being remotely interested in the Colonel's well being before. In fact, quite the opposite is true."

Kavanagh held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, I get the message but can't a person reform?"

"Yes, they can but I still do not trust your motives. I am sure the Colonel will be fine and when he has recovered enough we will tell him of your concern." With that, Teyla turned and headed into the infirmary with Ronon hot on her heels.

Kavanagh took that as a sign that his presence wasn't desired, so he turned away and moved towards control room to see if anyone would be going to the mainland tomorrow.

-SGA-

Carson labeled the sample of John's blood before placing it onto the tray the nurse was holding. She quickly walked away towards the research labs and cringed when she heard Sheppard cry out again.

Another nurse stood near Beckett handing him the IV drip, which the doctor quickly inserted into a vein in John's forearm. The vital drip of saline and glucose would replace the lost fluids due to his sickness. The nurse then quickly helped Beckett attach the monitoring equipment, which showed John's blood pressure to be much lower than it should be.

Beckett frowned as John cried out again and although the man wasn't very lucid, he needed to know a few things if he was to make an early diagnosis. "John can ya concentrate on me for a minute, son. I know you're in some considerable pain but I have to know where it's coming from?"

Sheppard looked at the blurry figure of Carson Beckett for a minute trying to clear his mind enough to form some coherent words. He'd never felt like this before. His whole body felt strange, distant, although the pain that emanated from every corner, every cell was real enough. It came in waves like an ocean of agony. There was no rest bite and the worse pain was in his head. He wanted it to stop as it pulsated to the rhythm of his thumping heart. The white noise in his ears was a constant background roar and he vaguely wondered if he was dying. Eventually, he managed to choke out the simple words. "It's everywhere."

Carson looked puzzled and worried. "The pain's everywhere?"

John panted and although it hurt to do so, he nodded.

Carson looked towards his head nurse. "I don't think we're dealing with gastric flu anymore. Let's give him some meds and see if we can help ease his pain."

"Yes, doctor," she replied, as she wasted no time in injecting the prepared medication into John's IV. They waited patiently for any sign of improvement but Sheppard continued to cry out from time to time.

Carson sighed. "I don't like the look of this. Those meds should have taken effect by now and he must be experiencing a lot of pain for him to react like that." Turning to his patient, he told him. "I'd like to do a full body examination, son. I have an inkling that ya may have been bitten or stung by something. Can you remember anything?"

Carson's words registered through the haze of pain and noise but his mind refused to remember. It hurt too much to shake his head, so he slurred. "No." He vaguely registered as Carson and the nurse gently examined his arms and legs before moving onto his body. Towards the end of the inspection, the pain meds finally kicked in and he drifted into a coma like state of sleep.

Beckett watched in relief as John calmed down and fell asleep. "Well, I found nothing to indicate a bite. Did ya find anything?" he asked his nurse.

"No, doctor. It's a bit of a mystery isn't it?"

"Aye that it is. I could be wrong about the bite so we'll have to wait and see what the lab tests reveal. I know one thing for sure he's not out of the woods yet. I'm going to talk to Dr. Weir, let me know if anything changes."

When Carson arrived in the small waiting area, he found Rodney pacing from one wall to another while Elizabeth, Teyla, and Ronon looked annoyed from where they quietly sat or stood.

The minute McKay saw Carson he stopped his relentless pacing and turned to ask. "How is he?"

The doctor's gaze fell on Elizabeth as he answered Rodney's question. "I'm afraid it's not looking too good at the moment because we haven't a clue as to what's ailing him." Carson sighed as he took a seat near Elizabeth to rest his wearily legs. Turning to the others, he asked. "Other than the bout of sickness, did he complain about being bitten or stung by anything while on Sovia?"

The team members exchanged a look before Rodney answered. "Not to me." The other two shook their heads. "Are you trying to tell us he's been bitten by something poisonous?" Rodney asked.

"I wish I knew. There's no outward sign of a bite anywhere on his body but some of his symptoms point towards toxic poisoning. He's in a great deal of pain and the meds took an unusually long time to kick in."

Teyla looked thoughtful. "What if the poison has been introduced deliberately through his food or drink?"

"Are you saying that someone may have done this on purpose?" Elizabeth asked the young woman.

Ronon didn't let Teyla answer as he growled. "It's a possibility."

Elizabeth looked astounded. "I find it hard to believe that John would have any enemies here in Atlantis."

Teyla nodded. "I know, Dr. Weir, but it could explain why there is no bite site."

Carson held up his hands. "Let's not jump to conclusions yet. The lab results should be back in a couple of hours and then we should have some answers."

"Yes, of course you're right, Carson. Can we see him?" Elizabeth requested.

"Well, he's asleep at the moment but I think it would be a good thing if one of ya could stay with him while he's going through this ordeal. It may help him."

"I'll take the first slot." Rodney quickly volunteered.

Elizabeth looked towards him and asked. "Have you repaired the naquadah generator yet?"

"Oh, no, no, it's alright, Radek is seeing to it.

"I believe I have some time on my hands." Teyla stated.

"Yeah me too." Ronon quickly added.

Elizabeth smiled at their willingness. "All right, let's work out a schedule then."

tbc


	7. Looking For a Needle in a Hay Stack

_Thanks again for all the fantastic reviews. __The next bit has medical mentions, so I apologize in advance if anything is incorrect as I'm no doctor. The blame would go to my trusty Complete Family Health Encyclopedia. _

Part 7 – Looking For a Needle in a Hay Stack

Elizabeth sat quietly keeping vigilance over the restless colonel as he slept. From time to time, his body would jerk as if an electric current had passed through it. John's appearance appalled her, as he looked so very ill, even more so than on any other occasion that she could remember and there had been plenty of those since arriving in the Pegasus galaxy.

They had worked out a colonel-sitting schedule by drawing straws to see in which order they would go. Elizabeth had been delighted when she pulled out the shortest of the straws, meaning that she would go first. She wanted to be around anyway when the lab reports came in, so she waited along with Carson as the hours ticked by but with still no sign of the all-important findings.

Carson thought John's restlessness indicated that the pain meds were wearing off, so fifteen minutes ago he'd given him a booster shot. However, he continued to move about in obvious distress as Elizabeth tried hard to concentrate on the report she was reading.

She looked up when John suddenly cried out. His eyes were open but he was staring off at some point across the room. So, Elizabeth moved over to him and gently placed her hand on his forehead feeling for signs of fever. He felt clammy but the monitors indicated only a mild increase in temperature. Moving her hand gently into his, she tried talking to him. "John can you hear me?" However, he showed no reaction to her voice.

Elizabeth was beginning to fret as John still stared without focus. She was just about to speak to him again when his body suddenly went into violent terrors as he thrashed about, kicking off the covers and nearly knocking over the all-important monitoring equipment. The noise drew the attention of the staff and they wasted no time in coming to Elizabeth's aid as she desperately tried to calm him down.

Carson rushed over and quickly sized up the problem. "He's having another seizure," he informed his staff. "Let's try an anticonvulsant on him and pray it works."

Within moments, the drug was handed to Carson. He quickly prepared a syringe and injected it directly into John's IV. His thrashing had become so bad that several people had to hold him down to prevent him from pulling out the IV and monitor lines.

For several long minutes, everyone waited to see if the drug would have any effect. Eventually they were rewarded when John suddenly stopped moving. A few seconds later, he began to cry out in obvious agony.

Elizabeth turned away to hide her tears before clearing her throat to speak. "Shouldn't the last dose of pain meds have kicked in by now, Carson?"

Beckett looked puzzled and checked his watch as he replied. "Aye, it's been a good thirty minutes since the last dose. I'm beginning to think that we'll have to administer something stronger like morphine, but we'll give the other drug chance to work before giving him that."

Elizabeth nodded and drew her gaze back to John. He was quieter now but pain was still causing him to cry out and even whimper from time to time. His earlier thrashing had dislodged the bedding and as the nurses were still busy dealing with other matters, Elizabeth moved to place the cover back over John's body. Reaching down, she was just about to tuck the blanket around his left foot when she suddenly let out a gasp of shock. Carson and the nurses all turned towards her wondering what the problem was.

"Carson have you seen his ankle?" she asked.

"No, not since I examined him earlier."

"Well look at this." Elizabeth advised pulling the blanket back slightly to give the doctor a better view.

Carson moved over and stared down to see what Elizabeth was getting at. Letting out his own gasp, he bent down to inspect the swollen and inflamed area on John's upper ankle closer. "Oh, my goodness that certainly wasn't there a few hours ago," he exclaimed as he gently touched the patch of discolored, angry skin. It felt hot under his fingers, so turning to his staff, he ordered. "Will someone get me a magnifier, please?"

One of the nurses rushed off and returned a few minutes later carrying the requested item. Blending down, Carson made a closer examination of the area before moving away from his patient. "Well, I can't see a definite bite mark, although the inflammation certainly looks typical for some kind of sting or bite. So we can therefore assume that it is but we still won't know for sure until those lab reports come through."

Elizabeth nodded. "What's holding them up?"

"Apparently they are having trouble finding anything wrong at all, so they're doing every test under the sun and I'm afraid some of them take a little while to perform." Carson turned back to Sheppard at a loss for words. "I don't like the way things are processing and if it is a bite of some insect or reptile, we need to know what it is as soon as possible and then find a living example in order to make an antitoxin for an effective treatment."

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "What if we send a team back to Sovia and asked the inhabitants if they know of any poisonous creatures in the vicinity of the Ancient ruins."

"Aye, that may not be a bad idea. It may help to send one of my people to describe the Colonel's symptoms."

Elizabeth nodded again. "Okay, we'll have a team assembled and ready to go within fifteen minutes."

"Aye, that will be fine." Carson quickly answered her as he moved off to instruct one of his staff.

After radioing Major Lorne to organize the mission, Elizabeth returned to John's bed to find him quieter than before but still staring off into the distance. She took his hand in hers again and softly spoke to him. "John can you hear me?"

The soothing tender tone of Elizabeth's voice brought him nearer to the surface of reality. Nearer than he'd felt in hours or was it days, as the nightmare of never ending pain and discomfort being his only memory. The pain was still there but pushed back to something resembling manageable. He vaguely wondered why he was still alive, the last time he'd been wake enough to register anything, he was sure that he was dying.

Licking dry lips, he tried to focus his vision on Elizabeth. Her image came back blurry but he could still make out her wonderful hair and the intense look of worry on her lovely face. He felt her raise the bed slightly and press an ice chip into his mouth. He relished the cold moisture as it melted on his tongue and slid down his aching throat.

Her comforting voice came again. "Hey, you've got us all worried. I know this is a stupid question, John, but how are you feeling?"

John would have smiled if a jolt of pain hadn't shot up his leg to land violently in his gut. He pushed the pain down to answer her after clearing his throat. "Not…good. Wha…what's wrong?" he simply asked.

"We're not sure at the moment but it seems you were bitten by something on Sovia. Can you remember anything?"

John searched his fuzzy brain. He vaguely remembered being asked that question before but a memory of a bite still refused to surface, so he simply shook his head causing a jolt of intense pain to shoot through his neck. He grabbed the sheet and rode it but it refused to back down as it intensified to become white-hot agony. No longer able to take it, he screamed.

Shocked at first, Elizabeth felt helpless as John screams echoed across the infirmary. Then an automatic response kicked in and she held him close against her to give comfort and support. He continued to yell but she muffled the noise against her shoulder. She felt his hands clenching her red top as he rode the untold wave of agony. His body began to shake with terrors again, and she feared another seizure was on the way.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Carson rush over with a syringe, which he quickly injected into the IV. "I'm afraid it's time for the hard stuff," he muttered. "I just hope to god it gives him some peace."

They both waited for some sign that John's pain was easing and eventually after a good ten minutes, he began to calm down until only the odd whimper escaped his lips as he began to drift towards sleep.

Elizabeth felt his head slump as sleep claimed him. Carefully, she eased him back into the pillow and wiped the tears from her eyes before facing Carson. "He's getting worse isn't he?"

Carson looked at her sadly. "Aye, the pain is getting extreme but at the moment all his major organs are functioning normally, which of course is a blessing. With a toxin say from a snake or spider bite you would expect find swelling of the bite area followed by pain, which we know for sure he has . He's also suffering from dizziness, nausea, sweating, low blood pressure, convulsions, and extreme pallor, all of which are signs of snakebite toxin but that's where the comparison ends. An untreated snakebite would be followed by respiratory paralysis or internal bleeding. There would also be tissue destruction around the bite wound. Thankfully that's not happening at the moment."

"So are you saying that this could right itself given time?"

Carson shook his head sadly at the hope in her eyes. "I'm afraid not because until we know what we're dealing with, there's no telling how the symptoms will proceed."

Thankfully just as Carson finished his explanation, a toxicologist approached carrying the long await report on her tablet computer. "We've found something, doctor," she stated.

"Aye, okay, we'd best talk about this in my office. Are ya coming, Dr. Weir?"

Elizabeth looked towards John, torn with wanting to stay with him but also wanting to hear what the lab technician had to say. Knowing it probably wouldn't take long, she followed Carson towards his office.

"Well, what are we dealing with?" Carson asked the young woman the minute they arrived.

"I'm afraid to say, but we've found the strangest protein I've ever seen. It took some very complex tests to locate it because its quantity is exceedingly small. However, there is no denying that this is a toxin we're dealing with but how it was introduced into the Colonel's blood stream is another matter."

"I think we can guess that it was a bite because the probable site has already started to swell." Carson told her. "Is there any indication as to what symptoms this toxin is likely to produce?"

"I'm so sorry, we just don't understand the molecular build-up of this protein and there's nothing much to work from. I would suggest the best course of action would be to find out exactly what caused the bite and then we can work from there if we have a live specimen."

"Aye, I was afraid you were going to say that but at the moment, we haven't a clue as to what caused this."

The young toxicologist glanced sadly towards Elizabeth and Carson. "I hope you find out soon because whatever this protein does it can't be good for the body. We'll be ready to make an antitoxin if you find the creature."

"Thank you, lass, we'll keep you informed."

Without a word, she quietly left the room leaving two very worried people behind.

-SGA-

Elizabeth sat at her desk knowing that she should be in her quarters and asleep by now. It was well after midnight but she couldn't rest until Major Lorne and his team returned from Sovia. Ronon was now sitting with John after her stint had ended a couple of hours ago. Thankfully, the morphine had giving him some rest and he'd slept quietly giving them all hope that the ordeal would be nearly over. Yet somehow, Elizabeth knew it wouldn't be that simple, it never was for John.

Lorne and his team had reported in an hour ago stating that the Sovian's hadn't been too pleased to see them again but after hearing the reason, they had co-operated. Unfortunately, they knew of no such creature within the area of the ruins but they were allowing the team to search for a while. They also handed over the two known venomous spiders and four snakes found in the hotter regions of the planet. Soon it would be night around the ruins, so the team would return home within the next hour and then Elizabeth would attempt to get some sleep.

TBC


	8. Creeping Around

Part 8 – Creeping Around

In the dimly lit corridor, a lone figure prowled his way towards the laundry room. His ultimate goal was Sheppard's darn sleeping bag that he still hadn't been able to retrieve. Sabotaging the naquadah generator had been easy and the delay should mean that Kavanagh would have time to remove the Turaka before it ended up in the wash. Although, he could imagine that the thing was dead by now, just as its victim would soon be.

A sickly smile adorned Kavanagh's face as he neared his goal. However, it was quickly wiped off when he rounded the last corner to come face to face with Rodney McKay.

"Hey…what the hell are you doing around here at this time of night?" McKay questioned him, angrily.

Kavanagh stuttered and stumbled over his words. "I…err…I'm looking for some…err…missing socks." He felt like an idiot once the words were out of his mouth.

Rodney looked at him suspiciously. "Bloody likely story."

"You've been hanging around Dr. Beckett for far too long, McKay. Anyway, I could say the same thing about you. What are you doing here?" Kavanagh flung back at the head scientist.

Rodney looked totally pissed off by his words. "I've just made myself useful by reinstalling the naquadah generator so that we can all have some clean socks."

"Oh, I didn't know it was broken." Kavanagh stated, innocently.

McKay narrowed his eyes and looked at him with distrust. "Yes, it was broken but yours truly fixed it," he finished, pointing to himself. There was no reason to tell this creep that Radek had done most of the work or that someone had tampered with the generator. "So you're worrying about some missing socks when most of the city is worried about our dying Colonel."

Kavanagh couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his tone as he said. "Oh, that's terrible isn't it?"

"What!"

"I mean it's terrible that poor Colonel Sheppard is at deaths door, again. He never seems to get a break."

McKay looked at him coldly. "Yes, it is. Now I suggest you go back to your quarters and do some praying to whatever god will listen to your selfish mind because your socks won't be clean anyway until tomorrow afternoon at the earliest."

"You really don't like me do you, McKay?"

"No, I don't like you, at all." Rodney answered truthfully before giving his fellow scientist some hard advice. "Get out of here right now or I call security and have you thrown into the Wraith holding cell."

Kavanagh stared down at McKay for a long moment. For a minute, he contemplated attacking the shorter man but if it went wrong, it could make matters worse. So turning on his heel, he departed without another word.

McKay watched him go wondering what was going on in his egoistical deceitful head. For some strange reason, Rodney sensed that it was imperative to keep Kavanagh out of the laundry but he couldn't say why he felt that way. Therefore not trusting the man not to come back, he decided to call security anyway and request a guard to keep an eye on the room. Security found his request a little strange but a guard turned up ten minutes later, allowing Rodney to go to the infirmary to sit with Sheppard.

McKay entered the darkened room to find Ronon quietly dozing by John's bed. Before waking the big fella, he glanced over at Sheppard and was shocked to see how white and waxy his face looked even in the room's soft lighting.

A light tap on Ronon's shoulder soon got the Satedan up and without a word, Ronon left to go to his own room as Rodney settled down into the warm chair Ronon had vacated.

John whimpered in his sleep for minute and Rodney held his breath wondering if he would wake but thankfully, he fell silent again. Rodney looked at him once more, and although he wasn't a religious man, he decided to say a prayer anyway. Just for extra insurance, he told himself.

-SGA-

Laundry supervisor, Alison Gibson, arrived early the next morning to start work after receiving a message that the power was back up from Dr. McKay. Rounding the last corner, she was surprised to find one of Colonel Sheppard's men posted by the laundry room door. "Is there a problem?" she asked the man.

"Not really, ma'am," the soldier replied. "Dr. McKay requested a guard to keep Dr. Kavanagh out of the laundry."

"Has that slime pot been around here again?"

"It would appear so, ma'am. Dr. McKay caught him snooping around late last night or I should say, early this morning. I think it was about 2.00 a.m."

"My goodness, what in heavens name would he want at that time?" Gibson pondered. The soldier looked perplexed and shook his head as she continued. "Oh well, I'd better get on and catch up with some of the backlog. You can go for now, I'll make sure that Kavanagh stays away."

"If you're sure, ma'am?"

Just as she was about to answer, her young assistant arrived. "Yes, I think between the two us we can handle that jerk." The soldier nodded his head and started to move off but the supervisor called to him. "Oh, have you heard how the Colonel is this morning."

The marine turned to reply. "No, I haven't ma'am. The last I heard was he's still very ill and they suspect that he may have been bitten by something nasty. I just hope they find out what it was."

"Me too, he's a good man," she answered before entering the main laundry room.

Thinking about the workload, Gibson turned to her helper. "Mary could you prepare the sleeping bags that came in from Jumper 1, I think we'll get them out of the way first."

"Yes, of course but haven't we got more important things to do? It's not like Colonel Sheppard's team will want them anytime soon."

Alison sighed. "I know but I think the Colonel's may have been soiled, so we really should wash it soon."

Mary screwed up her face slightly. "Okay, I'm on to it."

-SGA-

Off in the jumper bay, Dr. Kavanagh sat patiently in the back of a jumper while waiting for his ride to the mainland.

As he waited for the start clearance, he nervously chewed on some loose skin on his index finger as he let his thoughts drift. Things had gone well so far with the main goal of slowly killing Sheppard before Weir's eyes begin a reality and not just a dream. The only down side was the missing bug and Davon. _What am I going to do about him?_ Kavanagh pondered. The main reason for his trip was to meet with Davon and inform him of their progress. Kavanagh decided to gage his reaction and take it from there.

Deep in thought, Kavanagh didn't realize that the pilot was talking to him. "Dr. Kavanagh, I'm sorry but you'll have to leave the jumper."

"What?"

The pilot looked at him as if he was talking to an idiot. "I said Dr. Weir has just postponed the trip for a couple of hours."

"Why's that?" Kavanagh asked in annoyance.

"I'm not sure but I think Teyla Emmagan wants to come with us but she's still sitting with the Colonel at the moment."

Kavanagh sighed angrily and got up to leave. "Let me know when the trips on again."

The pilot would have preferred not to, but he answered. "Yes, of course."

-SGA-

Teyla tried to eat the toasted sandwich that Rodney had brought her but the bread stuck in her throat as she listened to John's whimpering as he became more restless. It disturbed her, as she had never heard the colonel whimper before even in his greatest distress. She wondered what kind of pain he was enduring to produce such a reaction. Dr. Beckett had informed her that the morphine was helping but he now had to administer higher dozes just to manage the pain.

John had slept through the night without any further seizures, which was one blessing but the swelling on his ankle was getting worse and he was becoming decidedly feverish.

Dr. Weir was due to relieve her in a couple of hours and then Teyla planned to go the see her people and ask if anyone knew about an insect or the like that could produce such symptoms. The creatures Major Lorne had brought back from Sovia had proven a dead end.

With an effort, Teyla managed to swallow a small piece of toast after washing it down with a gulp of water. Looking up, she suddenly realized that John was staring at her with glassy unfocused eyes. For a minute, her heart raced and thudded loudly in her chest thinking that he was – **gone** - but a small groan passed through his dry, cracked lips and she breathed a sigh of relief. Moving over to him, she brushed a lock of damp hair away of his eyes.

"Teyla?" he whispered.

"Yes, John," she answered her friend dropping all formality. "Do you want an ice chip?"

He heard her through the roaring of his ears and not wanting to cause more pain if he nodded, he murmured. "Yes."

The ice eased the dryness but did nothing to ease how terrible he felt. Pain had become his constant and relentless companion. It constricted his head and invaded every corner of his being. He felt dozy from the meds that helped him but the pain wanted to come back with full force. He could feel its strength building and he was afraid.

Teyla must have seen this and she asked. "Is the pain getting bad again?"

He managed to murmur, "Yes," and watched as Teyla's blurry figure moved off. A defiant and willful tentacle of agony shot through his back and John cried out unable to ride it. The pain twisted his gut and reached up towards his chest and John yelled. "Please make it stop! Please! Please…" He panted as his breathing became more difficult, and although he couldn't find the air to scream, he did so anyway.

Carson rushed to his side and quickly administered yet more morphine as Teyla held John as he cried and trembled in her arms. She wiped away her own tears as he slowly calmed down until he lay peacefully against her. "Thank you," she heard him whisper faintly as he lost the fight to stay conscious.

Carson watched as Teyla carefully eased him back onto the pillow before saying anything. "I can't give him a much higher dose without causing other problems. He's nearly on the maximum now."

Teyla slowly nodded. "He will die if we do not find a cure soon, will he not?"

"Aye, lass, it's an extremely complex and slow progress but it looks that way. We've determined that the toxin is slowly building up and that it seems to fire the pain receptors until I guess the victim dies of shock. I'm telling ya, it's certainly a cruel and callous fluke of nature."

She nodded. "Yes, I have never heard of such a thing before but I intend to ask others." Teyla checked to make sure that John was fast asleep before asking a question she didn't want to know. "What will you do if the pain gets too much and the medication no longer works?"

"To tell ya the truth, lass, I don't really know. It could be that he'll slip into a coma before that time comes but we'll have to face whatever happens. I don't generally believe in euthanasia but sometimes it's necessary. I'm just hoping this isn't one of those times because I for one would find it extremely difficult to end John Sheppard's life."

Teyla felt a tear form. "Yes," she whispered.

tbc


	9. Miracles Do Happen

Part 9 – Miracles Do Happen

Laundry assistant, Mary Harper really didn't like her job all that much but as she was no scientist, technician, nurse or military expert, coming out to Atlantis as a general worker was the only way she could get to see the fabled city. Back at SGC as one of the rare civilian aids, she had worked as a computer operator and office assistant until the opportunity to travel to the Pegasus galaxy had come her way. Naturally, she'd jumped at the chance thinking that her reassignment would also entail some form of IT work. She never imagined for a minute that she'd end up washing the expedition's dirty clothes. Consequently a few weeks after arriving, she'd asked Dr. Weir for a transfer and was told that as soon as a vacancy became available she would be reassigned, that was months ago.

Moving over to SGA-1's sleeping bags, she held her nose as she gingerly removed Colonel Sheppard's with a gloved hand, thinking that the man had been sick on it. Nevertheless, as she worked, she still did a little daydreaming as she thought back to the first time she'd see John Sheppard in the main dining area right at the beginning of her assignment. They had flirted with each other across tables but it wasn't until the next day that she'd found out been flirting with the head of military operations. He had seemed so unlike most of the other high ranking officers that she'd ever encountered. Their paths hadn't crossed again but if they did, she sure wouldn't mind doing a database for him. Although from all accounts, the poor man was now laying half-dead in the infirmary.

Saddened by the thought, she was pleased to find that the military green sleeping bag was still reasonably clean. So placing it on the work top, she went about opening the zippers in preparation for their largest machine. The right hand zipper worked fine and opened easily. Only when it came to the left hand one, the stubborn zipper stuck halfway down. She yanked the zipper back up and then gave it a hefty tug downwards until she managed to open it fully. Muttering a few curses, Mary turned back the top flap and began to scream, loudly.

Hearing the racket, supervisor Alison Gibson dropped what she was doing and rushed into the sorting room, thinking that Mary was being murdered at the very least. Relieved at finding her unharmed, she asked. "What in heaven's name is wrong with you girl?"

Mary opened her mouth to speak but closed it again as she pointed to the sleeping bag. The supervisor moved over to stand by her and stared down at a very dead and flattened ugly black bug about the size of a dime.

"Oh, my god!" Alison exclaimed. "Get me…err…a matchbox or something and some tweezers, quickly."

The girl rushed off to search for the requested items and returned a few minutes later. Alison carefully prodded the bug to make sure that it was dead before gingerly picking it up with the tweezers and dropping it into the small box that Mary had procured.

"I think we may have found the answer," Gibson proclaimed with a smile. She may only be a laundry supervisor but that didn't mean she was dumb. Although it wasn't immediately oblivious, she was beginning to suspect foul play at work. "Mary," she whispered, "I have a feeling that Dr. Kavanagh is somehow connected to this…**thing**."

Mary looked a little surprised by her words. "What makes you think that?"

"Just call it a gut feeling but the man has been snooping around here for no good reason other than the unlikely excuse of losing a data disc. Now, I'm going to take this horrible creature to Dr. Beckett as quickly as possible and I'll tell him about my suspicions. I think its best if you don't tell anyone about this for the moment as it may get back to Dr. Kavanagh."

Mary nodded. "Okay, but what if Kavanagh turns up?"

"Just tell him the bags are in the machine and you found nothing." Mary nodded again as the supervisor quickly picked up the box and rushed out of the room.

-SGA-

Carson Beckett was not a happy man as he looked yet again at the microscopic image of the deadly toxin's molecular structure on his computer. _How can something this small cause so much devastation,_ he pondered, but then again, some of the deadliest deceases known to man were caused by viruses one could hardly see, even with the aid an electron microscope. Sighing, he flipped off the image and thought. _If they didn't find the answer soon, then there would be no hope for Sheppard. _

He looked up and glanced out of his office when he thought he heard someone talking but seeing his head nurse deal with the matter, he turned back to his work.

However, a few minutes later, the nurse came in with a look of hope you her face. "Dr. Beckett, Alison Gibson from the laundry has found a dead insect in Colonel Sheppard's sleeping bag," she stated.

A glimmer of hope also flickered through the doctor's eyes. "Well, tell her to come in and show me." Carson waited patiently until the tall and not unattractive laundry supervisor approached his seat. "Well, what have ya found?" he requested.

Alison showed him the tiny box and prized it open to reveal the deadly bug. "This," she announced, holding the open box under Carson's nose.

"Oh, bloody hell is that thing ugly. I hope it's really dead." Carson commented. Seeing her pained expression, he smiled, "Well, at least we may have the culprit, now all we have to do is identify what it is."

"That's not all, doctor." Alison stated as she went on to explain her suspicions regarding Kavanagh.

Across the infirmary not far from Carson's office, Teyla sat holding John's hand as he slept on in a drugged haze. _Better, this, then screaming in agony_, she thought before turning to Ronon who had joined her fifteen minutes ago. "Do you think we are going to lose him this time?" asked Teyla, despondently.

"I hope you're not giving up," Ronon growled, "Because while there's life still left in the body, there's hope."

"Yes, I know," she whispered. "But this time…"

"Something will turn up," Ronon interrupted her.

"Something has." Carson broke into their conversation after hearing Ronon's comment. "Do either of you happen to know what this is?" he asked them holding up the box with its dead but lethal occupant. "It was found in the Colonel's sleeping bag."

Ronon looked closely and grunted with a shake his head but Teyla pondered. "I do believe it is a Sati…no…that does not sound right." She searched her brain for a minute. "No, I am sure it is a Salmi, although I did not know it was dangerous."

"Do ya happen to know which planet it originates from?"

Teyla shook her head. "I am sorry but I do not. I can still go to the mainland and ask if anyone else knows. How did this thing end in his sleeping bag?"

"Aye, that's what we'd all like to know." Carson looked towards Sheppard and rubbed his chin. "I don't think we really have time for a trip to the mainland. How's the word spelt?" Teyla told him how she thought it was written. "Okay then," Carson murmured, "I'll do a quick check of the Ancient database, but if nothing comes up then it leaves us with no other option than to ask around. Oh, and don't mention this to anyone, especially Dr. Kavanagh. I'll tell Rodney and Dr. Weir, and we'll explain why to ya both later."

-SGA-

Down in the laundry room, Alison Gibson went into the sorting room to find her young assistant separating the whites from the colors. "Has Dr. Kavanagh been here?" she asked.

Mary shook her head, "No, the weasel hasn't shown his face."

"Okay. Dr. Beckett thinks the same as I do, but we have to play it cool at the moment as we don't want to spook him or anything until there's tangible proof."

"Right. I do hope they catch the sneeze ball if he's guilty."

"Yes, so do I," Alison murmured as she remembered catching a glimpse of Colonel Sheppard and seeing how desperately ill the man had looked.

-SGA-

"How was that spelt again?" McKay shouted from his position overlooking one of the ten thousand year old data consoles where his laptop sat connected to it.

"Teyla said she thought it was s-a-l-m-i." Carson answered him.

Rodney shook his head. "Nope, nothing here by that spelling. Maybe the Ancients called it by a different name. It may take a while but I'm going to put a detailed description of the thing in and see if the database can recognize it from that. Have they found anything from the dissection yet?"

"I'm afraid not. The thing must have died some days ago. Of course being squashed to death was the probable cause."

Rodney looked up. "Yes, yes, I think that would be enough for anyone. Okay, let's start typing in the description. Insect, color black, six legs, approximately 2 centimeters in diameter, two protruding sword like…"

"Rodney?" Carson interrupted making McKay look up in irritation. "I think we'd better send Teyla to the mainland just to be on the safe side."

"Yes, yes, you do that." Rodney answered absentmindedly as he went back to his typing.

-SGA-

"Dr. Kavanagh, this is flight control informing you that Jumper 3 will be leaving for the mainland in ten minutes."

"And about time!" Kavanagh growled into his earpiece. "I'm on my way."

"I'll tell the pilot to expect you. Flight out!"

"Expect me." Kavanagh muttered to himself as he made his way to the bay. "I've been waiting over two flaming hours."

"Have you now." Teyla announced as she pulled along side of him. Quickening her stride, she called. "You had better hurry up, Doctor, you would not want us to leave without you."

Growling louder, Kavanagh hurried his pace thinking, _I wonder why she's going to the_ _mainland, anyway? _

They both arrived together so Kavanagh tried to strike up a conversation with her, but the Athosian woman was in no mood to talk to him as she settled into the seat behind the pilot. However, her silence didn't include the young lieutenant as he asked her how his commanding officer was.

"I am sorry to say, but he is still seriously ill," she answered him.

The pilot looked downcast. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"So am I." Kavanagh piped up from the back seat.

Teyla clenched her hands and reined in her anger even though she felt like dashing up to the scientist and pounding his ponytailed head until he was senseless. Alison Gibson wasn't the only one with suspicions. Biting her tongue, she sat quietly and counted to ten as their takeoff clearance arrived.

However, just before the pilot engaged the controls, her earpiece came alive. "Teyla, this is Dr. Beckett. There's no need to go, love, as Rodney has found the information we need on the database."

"All right," Teyla simply replied before turning to the pilot. "Lieutenant, could you please open the hatch, it seems my trip to the mainland has become unnecessary for now."

"Okay," the young pilot replied. "Was it trouble with your folks?"

"Yes, a small family dispute." replied Teyla, smiling sweetly at the lieutenant.

"Does that mean I've waited over two hours for nothing?" asked Kavanagh, angrily.

Teyla turned to him and said coldly. "I suggest you do not make a fuss, Doctor, or they may cancel the flight altogether."

The scientist settled down again as Teyla got up to leave. As she passed through the open hatchway, another passenger quickly ran passed her. She recognized Corporal Higgins out of his uniform and smiled, obliviously someone wanted an eye kept on Kavanagh.

tbc

Thanks for the continuing reviews. Please keep them coming.


	10. The Hunt is On

_First off thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. I see the FanFiction awards are out at last. Congrats to all the winners. And although my story 'For Love of a Friend' didn't win, I was thrilled to be nominated in the first place. __This chapter is slightly longer. Hope you enjoy. _

Part 10 – The Hunt is On.

Teyla arrived back in the infirmary to find Carson, Rodney, Elizabeth and Ronon gathered in the doctor's office. "Who is sitting with the Colonel?" she asked with concern.

"A nurse at the moment," Elizabeth replied, "But this won't take long, then I'll sit with him."

"All right then," called Carson, "Rodney has found out that the creature comes from a planet called Menzur."

"Yes," Rodney butted in. "According to the database, the insect they called a Turaka wasn't even considered poisonous, but we have to remember that there has been ten thousand years of evolution since then."

"Are you sure it's the same creature?" asked Elizabeth.

"Yes, yes, I've compared notes and pictures. Although like you thought, Teyla , there are other insects similar to it." Rodney clarified. "Now as I was saying, the Ancients recorded it as being harmless to humans but they did note that it caught its prey, usually very small manuals or vermin, by biting them and injecting a poison. Studies showed that the toxin was so mild that it didn't affect large animals or humans. Now let's image that this toxin has somehow evolved into something stronger, deadlier?"

Carson nodded slowly. "Aye, that's possible or the Ancients got it wrong."

"Isn't this all beside the point," Ronon interrupted them. "The more time we talk, the greater the possibility that Sheppard won't make it. You do what you like, but I'm going to Menzur to find out all I can about this bug. Then capture one and bring it back for the doc to make his anti-whatever."

Carson looked thoughtful. "Aye, lad, you're absolutely right."

Elizabeth nodded her head in agreement, Rodney stayed quiet and pensive before adding. "Let's hope Menzur has a gate address."

Teyla looked at him, surprised that Rodney could be so short sighted at times. "If it is the same insect, Dr. McKay, then Menzur must have a gate. Otherwise someone could not have obtained one to place in the Colonel's sleeping bag to being with."

Rodney slapped his forehead. "Sorry, just a little worried here. Tends to scramble the brain."

Teyla knew that was only the half of it. Although Rodney would never admit it aloud, he was terrified that this time nothing could save his friend from the clutches of death. "That is quite understandable, Dr. McKay, I know how you feel. Let us waste no more time, I will accompany Ronon."

Stretching his tall frame, Ronon was already heading out of the office when he called back to Teyla. "Okay, let's go!"

Teyla spoke as she moved to go after him. "Take care of John and we will be back as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded in unison but Rodney headed out after them. "I'll go ahead and get the gate address set up."

-SGA-

Restricting tightness in his chest woke him and he panicked, panting, unable to get enough air through the pain and constriction of his lungs. No air meant he couldn't scream or call out for help, so he thrashed about in agitation until a burry figure appeared over him. "John, lad, ya need to calm down and try breathing deeper and slower. We've ya on oxygen but it's the pain that's making ya think ya can't breathe. Can ya hear me, son, your lungs are okay." Carson pleaded as he injected another dose of morphine into the IV.

John heard Carson through the white noise. He tried to do what the Scottish doctor told him but pain ripped through his lungs like red-hot needles with each desperate gasp. The urge to scream continued to prevail but the air still wouldn't come. Tears formed in his eyes and rolled down his cheeks as he longed for this to end, to be free of the pain. He felt someone hold him. A soft voice whispered his name and the faint aroma of perfume assaulted his senses, calming his panic as the pain migrated from his lungs to assault his back, giving him air to scream.

Elizabeth held him close as the screams turned to sobs as mercifully the morphine began to dull the agony. She turned to Carson, this time allowing her tears to show. "It's getting more difficult to control the pain isn't?" she whispered, hoping John wouldn't hear.

"Aye, lass," Carson whispered back. "I need to look at his ankle but I don't want to cause him more pain. If ya could keep holding him, it may help."

Elizabeth nodded as Carson gently pulled back the dressing that now covered the inflamed skin. She gasped at the terrible discoloration and swelling around the supposed bite site. John's sobs grew louder and a few whimpers escaped his raw, swollen lips as Carson applied some creams and covered the area again. Elizabeth held him and murmured softly to calm him through the pain.

Carson sighed before looking directly at Elizabeth and the man she held. Concluding that John had fallen asleep again, he whispered. "We now know that the toxin is causing tissue destruction around the bite wound. I don't think I have to tell ya what that means if we don't get an antitoxin soon."

Elizabeth nodded her head. She knew exactly what Carson was getting at. The tissue destruction would spread until every cell in John's body was destroyed. She lowered her cheek onto his unruly hair and prayed.

-SGA-

Kavanagh made a pretense of inspecting the equipment that had been his excuse for coming to the mainland. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the small generator that powered the radio transmitter but only he knew that. The small glitch he had programmed into it had made it seem so.

Standing from his crouched position, he straightened to see Davon staring at him from one of the elaborate tents the Athosian people called home. He waved to him and gathered up his things before going over to the man. "How are you my friend?"

Davon looked at him with almost an air of distaste. "You are not my friend. We are partners in…"

Kavanagh put a finger to his lips. "Shush it's not safe to talk here."

"All right, we will go for a nice long walk in the woods. You have brought me some beer. Yes?"

Kavanagh sighed. "Yes, I have a couple of bottles with me but you're only having one."

Davon looked disappointed for a second before he led the way to the nearest path into the woods. They didn't notice Corporal Higgins move to follow them at a safe distance.

Once they were well out of earshot of the community, Davon took the offered beer and drank a healthy gulp. "Well my partner, is the Doucav dead?"

Kavanagh smiled a sickly grin. "Getting there, slowly but surely. They say he's in a great deal of pain and so far they have no idea why."

"That is good to hear. Soon my Teyla will be back with me and we can be married. You have done well, my partner and I will never betray you if the truth comes out."

Kavanagh was satisfied with his words for now and he saw no reason to take action against the Athosian, so he raised his own bottle of beer and proclaimed, loudly. "Here's to the greatest Doucav killers in the galaxy."

"Yes to us. Kav and Dav. Oh and the Turaka, of course." Davon toasted, just a loudly. Kavanagh cringed slightly at his words but refrained from telling the man about the missing insect.

Corporal Higgins had been puzzled as to why these two men needed to drink beer in private so deep in the woods. Puzzled that was until he heard the scientist's last sentence taking about killing someone. He watched for a bit longer before tucking the small digital camcorder into his jacket. Moving with the stealth that his special ops training had taught him, he carefully turned away and headed back towards the village.

-SGA-

Like most inhabited planets in the Pegasus galaxy, Menzur was richly covered in lush green vegetation. The climate near the gate was humid and warm. Trees stood tall with large canopies of copious leaves. Mossy vines hung like curtains intertwined between the branches, reaching down towards the dense and leafy forest floor. If either Teyla or Ronon had been from Earth, they would have said it reminded them of a tropical rainforest.

It had been dark when the pair had first emerged through the gate but as they walked towards the nearest community along a well-trodden sandy road, the sun began to rise above the forest canopy. They listened as the quieter squawks and insect noise gave way to a chorus of bird song. Occasional howls echoed through the forest as the animal life woke up to greet the sun.

"Somewhere in there is probably a Turaka." Teyla noted as she kept up with Ronon's longer strides.

The usually fearless Satedan looked a little dubious. "Yeah, but I'd rather get local advise first before attempting to find one."

Teyla nodded. "Yes, but Dr. Kavanagh must have acquired one from someone that comes here to trade or visit." She didn't like the implications of that because the records had shown that the planet had never been dialed directly from Atlantis. However, that didn't mean that someone hadn't gone to another location first and then dialed out to Menzur.

Ronon grunted in acknowledgment at Teyla's reasoning. "So you also think that Kavanagh is somehow involved in this?"

"Yes, and I only hope that we can find some evidence to prove it. Then my friend, I would gladly allow you to eliminate him, slowly, but I have a feeling that the others would not allow that no matter how angry they feel."

"Huh…we can always put a Turaka in his pants."

Teyla smiled. "Yes, we could. Although, I am hoping that Dr. Beckett will have this antitoxin by then."

"Yeah, but it would sure give him a scare and maybe cause a heart attack."

"I have faith in the people of Atlantis, Ronon, and if Dr. Kavanagh is guilty of this horrendous crime then he will send for many years to one of their prisons back on Earth."

Ronon nodded and remained silent as they neared a small settlement. The sandy road eventually gave way to a paved roadway, which was lined with simple wooden houses that were bordered by rough fences surrounding well-kept gardens. Several side roads also led to other houses, likewise built of wood.

So early in the morning only a few locals wandered the streets. When they noticed the visitors, they paid them no heed as they went about their business.

"We'd better find the local inn or what passes for it." Ronon muttered.

"Yes, I would think that is probably the best place to get our information." Teyla agreed.

Looking around they eventually came across a building that could be an inn but the door was firmly closed. "That is the wrong place if you be looking for a breakfast house." A female voice called to them.

Ronon and Teyla turned as one to face a middle-aged woman with jet-black hair. "Could you please tell us where we could find one?" Teyla asked her.

"You need to go to the house right on the end of this road. Dolan runs the place and his wife does a good breakfast spread. Are you here for the market, strangers?"

Teyla nodded and smiled. "Yes, we are."

"Looking to buy something are you?" Ronon and Teyla both nodded and moved away before she could say anything else.

"Why didn't you ask her about the Turaka?" Ronon muttered, once they were out of earshot.

Teyla sighed. "I had a feeling she was not the right person to obtain useful information from."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Have you got anything to trade with?"

Teyla held up her large bag, "I always come well prepared."

A few minutes later they entered a dwelling proclaiming itself as 'Dolan's Eatery' and at this early hour they were the only patrons around so they sat themselves at the table nearest to a small bar.

A short pudgy man entered the room from a side door. "You are early strangers, but if you do not mind waiting a while, my wife will be down soon to start the cooking."

"No, that is fine." Teyla answered him. "Maybe while we wait you could give us some information."

"Yes, of course, I will help you if I can." The man answered, although he flashed them a look as if he expected to be rewarded for this service.

Teyla would be willing to reward him if she deemed it necessary. So clearing her throat, she asked. "You have a creature on this planet call a Turaka. Could you please give us some information about it?"

The pudgy man turned white for a second before murmuring. "Why do you want to know about that awful creature?"

Ronon answered before Teyla could. "We need information to help a friend who has been bitten by one."

The man snorted through his nose. "Sorry to hear that, but you'd best get back to your friend and use that fancy gun of yours to put him out of his misery. Believe me, it would be the kindest thing to do."

Teyla felt a tear form, as she looked the eatery owner right in the face. "We will not give up on him that easily. We have some excellent doctors and if we can take one or two of these creatures home, I believe they can find a cure."

"Huh, I am sorry, little lady, but there is no cure. If there were then our doctors would have found one for sure."

Teyla didn't want to undermine the abilities of their doctors, so she was very diplomatic in her reply. "I am sure your doctors have worked very hard to find a cure but we come from another world, so maybe they will find something your doctors failed to see."

"You come from another world? Then may I ask how your friend got bitten?"

"We believe the creature was obtained here and used as a tool for murder." Ronon growled.

"Really?" The owner rubbed is chin. "What a terrible thing to do. My name is Dolan by the way. Now if you feel that you need to help your friend even though it is a useless gesture then go to the market. It begins in an hour and when you get there ask for a man called Galen. He can tell you all about the Turaka. He is even crazy enough to catch the devils."

Teyla thanked the man and waited for their breakfast.

An hour later, they wandered into the market place looking for Galen. The market was full of colorful stands laden with plentiful home products and groceries, and even though it was still early, the market was full of shoppers going about their daily routine.

As Teyla didn't have a clue as to what this Galen character looked like, she stopped at a quieter stall and asked an elderly woman for directions. The woman moved a gnarled finger and pointed towards a large stand covered in a multitude of goods, including some caged animals. Teyla thanked her and moved off.

When they came to the stall, the man behind it was younger than they'd expected, as he was probably somewhere around John or Rodney's age.

The stall owner dealt with the few customers before turning his attention to them. "What can I do for you strangers?" he asked in a pleasant voice.

Ronon came right to the point. "You're Mr. Galen right?" The man gave a short nod. "We're looking for a Turaka."

Galen looked flabbergasted. "You have got to be joking with me?"

"No, we are very serious." Teyla answered him.

The man gestured with his hand. "No, that's not what I meant, sweet lady. What I meant was, why all of a sudden, is there so much interest in that horrible creature. You are the second enquiry this quarter moon."

Ronon and Teyla exchanged a glance. "Could you tell us who the first one was?" Ronon asked.

"I didn't get his name but err…let me think. He was…umm…a short little man about your age. Paid me well with all kinds of funny stuff, most of which I've managed to sell for a good profit. I've only got a few things left because I just can't understand how they work or what they are."

Saying no more, he dug under the stall and produced a packet, which he passed to Teyla. She looked at it with shock as she recognized the English writing so clearly printed across the front. Passing the pack to Ronon, she muttered. "This item comes from Dr. Beckett's infirmary. I do believe it is called a suppository and is used when someone is unable to…err…go to the toilet."

Ronon looked at it and grunted. Handing the package back to the storekeeper, he muttered. "Yeah, I remember those well," Thinking of the time not so many weeks back when he was in Beckett's care after his capture and run in with the super Wraith on Sateda.

Teyla suppressed a smile, but this was no time for light conversation, and although she wanted to know more about the first buyer, time was pressing on. "Can we obtain a Turaka from you?"

Galen laughed at that. "Now why would you want one of them, pretty lady?"

Ronon shifted and opened his mouth to say something condescending, but Teyla silenced him with a gesture. "The creature you sold was used to poison a very important man in our city. We wish to obtain another live example to give to our doctors so that they may find a cure."

Galen lost it and his laughter echoed across the market place. However, after seeing their angry glares, he quickly calmed down. "I am sorry, I wasn't laughing at the poor man's plight, but there is no cure against the bite of a Turaka. Depending on the victim's size, a human will take about six days to die of the most horrible and painful death imaginable, other than being taken by a Wraith that is. So go home and use that fancy gun on him, it would be the kindest thing to do."

This time Ronon couldn't hold back his irritation. Grabbing the smaller man's collar, he pulled him closer and murmured deeply. "We've been told that before but let us be the judge of whether he can be cured or not. Can you provide us with one of these creatures or not?"

Galen gulped and squealed in a voice suddenly two octaves higher than normal. "No."

"What do you mean by no?" Ronon growled back.

"I haven't got one at the moment," Galen stammered, "But if you are that desperate and pay me well, I could be persuaded to check the Mogel traps. Sometimes one gets in there to feed."

Ronon looked ready to explode but Teyla's calming voice eased his temper. "If you find us a Turaka, we will be more than willing to pay you handsomely plus extra if you can give us further information about the first buyer."

Quickly extracting himself from Ronon's grip, Galen thrust out a hand. "Okay, missy, I'll do my best but there's no guarantee. I'll have to trust you but I will need a little incentive here."

Teyla sighed, "Very well." Digging into her bag, she produced several pieces of Athosian jewelry and handed them over.

Galen looked at them with interest. "Very nice. The first buyer gave me some similar pieces and they sold very quickly."

Teyla's face went white with shock. Ronon saw her reaction and tried to calm her by saying. "That doesn't mean he was an Athosian."

"No," she murmured, "But I have this awful feeling deep inside that one of my people is somehow involved. What was he wearing?" she asked the storekeeper.

"Clothes a little like yours, but the jacket was a type of rough home spun cloth." Galen didn't see Teyla's face go even paler as he started to close up his store. Changing the subject, the man continued talking. "The traps are located about two miles from here in the Kayla swamp area. I'll need a few minutes to secure my stall and collect my cages."

"Collect cages?" Ronon asked.

"Yes, while I'm up there as might as well collect any trapped Mogel's as well."

Teyla had recovered from her shock enough to look at him and ask. "What is a Mogel?"

"It's a very small rodent and the Turaka's favorite food. I collect them to sell in the market as pets. The local children love them being all furry and sweet to look at."

He stopped talking as he finished covering his goods. Then turning to Ronon, he thrust several small cages into his hands and shouted to the neighboring storeowner. "Can you keep an eye on my things, Brent? These crazy folk want a Turaka, so we're off to find them one."

The other storekeeper nodded and several shoppers turned to look at the strangers as if they were out of their minds as they moved off behind Galen.

tbc


	11. Lucky Number Thirteen

Part 11 – Lucky Number Thirteen

Nighttime in the infirmary was usually a quiet and peaceful place but tonight the occasional cries and whimpering of John Sheppard cut through the air making the staff feel helpless and inadequate in their losing battle to save him.

Rodney shifted uncomfortably in his chair near Sheppard's bed feeling mixed emotion drain through him as Carson explained that there was little more they could do to ease John's suffering. "He's on the maximum safe dosage of morphine right now. Anymore more could do more harm than good."

"I know that, Carson, but there has to be something we can do?"

John cried out again and turned restlessly as Beckett went to answer. "The toxin has spread throughout his body and it's triggering the pain receptors to fire repeatedly. I'm afraid if we don't do something soon, the pain alone will cause him to…" Carson didn't finish, as he couldn't say the word – die - to Rodney.

But Rodney said it anyway." You wanted to say – die - didn't you?"

Carson looked at his friend sadly. "Aye, Rodney. Every hour that goes by brings us closer to that conclusion. I hate to say this but if it gets so bad that the morphine no longer has any effect then believe me, it would be a blessing."

Rodney chewed his lip as Sheppard cried out again, slightly louder. "Then I can only hope that Teyla and Ronon come back soon with one of those awful creatures."

"Aye, I'll second that."

-SGA-

The swamps of Kayla proved to be a very unpleasant place indeed. Hot and humid, the ground oozed with foul smelling mud and rotting vegetation. Galen carefully led them around the pools of stench, onward towards an area of sparse spindly trees sticking out like an island in a sea of slime.

Once on drier land, Galen immediately crossed to the nearest tree and removed a small trap from behind the trunk. Inside two very large and round eyes peered back at him, terrified into silence as Galen inspected the creature and the cage for any other life.

As quick as could be, he opened the trap door and gestured for Ronon to bring a carrying cage. After a small struggle with the furry creature, he popped the rodent into the cage and closed it tightly. "Nice example is this one and he certainly hasn't been bitten."

They moved on in silence as Galen repeated the procedure until he'd collected five rodents. Straightening his chubby frame after finding trap number twelve empty, he said. "I am sorry but there is only one more to go. It would seem the Turaka is being its usual illusive self."

Teyla felt tears form in her eyes as Galen had explained that it could take days to trap one otherwise. Clutching the small cage that was meant to carry the insect, she prayed hard that the last trap, number thirteen, would prove fruitful. McKay had told her often enough about this being an unlucky number on Earth, hopefully this time that wasn't the case.

Galen carefully approached the hidden trap near a fallen log and held up his hand in caution. Staring closely at the cage and the frantic rodent it held, he noted that its movement was caused by pain and not fright. With great care, he lifted the trap with his gloved hand, which caused the rodent to become even more agitated. Looking closely, Galen finally spotted what he was looking for. There in the far corner sat the black and ugly figure of a Turaka, patiently waiting for its victim to die.

Galen turned and smiled at the Atlanteans. "It seems the gods are being generous today. Now we must be very careful and transfer the Turaka into the cage you are holding, lovely lady.

Nervously, Teyla handed over the cage as Galen extracted the agonized rodent. He killed it instantly and let the corpse fall to the leafy ground. The Turaka moved slightly, realizing that his victim was gone. Seizing the opportunity, the storekeeping quickly opened the cage and held the trap over it with a steady hand. Then with a hard tap, he knocked the insect into the cage.

Closing it quickly, he handed it back to Teyla. "One Turaka safe and sound," he proclaimed, "Although, I still don't know what your doctors hope to gain from it."

"At least we now have a chance and we thank you for helping us." Teyla said solemnly. "Now if we can get this back as quickly as possible, we would be very grateful."

"Okay, little lady, let's gather up the cages and…," But he didn't finish his sentence as he suddenly ordered, "Don't move!" Used to reacting quickly, Ronon and Teyla both stayed stock-still wondering what the problem was.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ronon watched as Galen produced another small cage from his jacket pocket and proceeded to open it. There was a rustling of leaves and few alien curses but eventually the little man stood up and faced him with a triumphant smile. "I hope you're willing to pay me more because now you've got two."

Teyla gapped at the other cage and the larger looking horror it held. "Yes by all means," she whispered. "That one looks healthier."

"It's a large female, so there's plenty of poison in that one for sure. Now let's go before a striker snake arrives to devour the dead rodent."

Both Ronon and Teyla swallowed hard wondering how many horrible creatures this planet held. Without delay, they quickly followed the stall keeper.

-SGA-

Elizabeth woke with a pounding headache. Looking bleary at her bedside clock, she realized it was still early but the idea of trying to sleep more seemed impossible. Her restless sleep had been nightmarish anyway, which was probably the reason for the headache.

Stretching, she stumbled towards the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed to face another day of uncertainly, a day when her second-in-command might die. How many times had she faced that possibility but in her wildest scenario, she would never have dreamt that it could be at the hands of one of their own people.

After the evidence Corporal Higgins had brought back from the mainland, there was no doubt in her mind that Dr. Kavanagh had planed it all with the help of one of Teyla's people. They hadn't arrested Kavanagh yet as they wanted to gather more evidence against him and they needed Teyla's help in identifying the Athosian.

Kavanagh, how that name conjured up her worst nightmares. Nightmares filled with what ifs. What if she had not allowed him to join the expedition? What if she had not let him come back after the siege? And what if she had not accused him of working for the trust or allowing Ronon to threaten him? Then maybe his depraved mind wouldn't have wanted to extract such a dreadful revenge.

She let the water flow gently over her agonized body, as a rush of tears fell freely to mingle with the droplets. It was all her fault, her mind screamed. Kavanagh wanted revenge on her there was no other answer. "Why didn't you take it out on me, you bastard! Why John! Why!" she yelled at the shower wall knowing that no one could hear her _Because he knew without a doubt that you'd suffer more at seeing the man you love go through hell and eventually die,_ her own logic answered as she broke down and sobbed.

Ten minutes later, she stepped out of the shower cubicle and faced the mirror. The tears and sorrow had left her face red and blotchy. Her large eyes still reflected her inner pain but she needed to stay strong for her city and for John. Falling apart right now wasn't an opinion.

John was still alive and she would be there for him no matter what the outcome. If it meant being there and giving comfort while he died, then that's what she would do. Allowing one last tear to fall unhindered, she dried her face and prepared herself for work.

-SGA-

The marketplace was still a hub of actively when they arrived back into the community. Putting down the cages behind his stall, Galen immediately opened it up to display his wares.

It was now nearly lunchtime and the smell of mouth-watering food drifted through the air, but as hungry as Ronon was, he refused to allow time to eat. So reaching into his pocket, he produced a simple powerbar and began to eat it as Teyla spread out the payment in front of Galen.

The storekeeper looked the offered goods over with interest but eventually, he said. "I was expecting a little more for my effort?"

Teyla's voice rose slightly as she replied. "Some of this jewelry is made of semiprecious stones and metal. I'm sure you will get a handsome price for them."

"Maybe I will, young lady, but we're a simple folk and many haven't the money to pay such a high price."

Teyla opened a second smaller bag to produce some items from Earth mostly shampoo and soap. "These things come from the same place as the first buyer's payment. They are used for hygiene, for washing."

"Really," Galen muttered picking up a small bottle of Pantene Pro V shampoo. "What's this for?"

"To wash the hair," Teyla answered quickly as she went about separating the shampoo from the soap. "This pile is for general washing and this is for the hair. Now please accept this so that we may go."

Galen looked thoughtful for a minute. "All right, missy, but don't you want more…" He suddenly stopped mid-sentence as he spotted several official looking men enter the market and made a beeline for his stall. "Oh, trouble," he muttered causing Teyla and Ronon to turn as one to look at what he meant.

"Galen!" One of the men shouted. "I hear you have been out for a Turaka? If you have one, it must be destroyed immediately. You know the laws regarding that creature."

Galen glared at the neighboring storekeeper as Teyla felt her heart leap into her throat at his words. By her side, Ronon became alert, ready to fight. They could lie their way at of the situation by only giving them one of the creature but Teyla had a feeling that the second was found for a purpose, so she wanted to take them both back to Atlantis.

Maybe she was gambling with John's life but she had to make them see reason. "If Mr. Galen broke the law it was because of us," she started. "We came to this planet out of desperation to help an important and good man who has been bitten by the creature you call a Turaka. We need to take the creature back to our world so that our doctors may find a cure."

One of the officials moved forwards. Teyla expected to see defiance on his face but instead he showed a mask of regret. "I feel very sorry for this man but there is no cure, therefore, the Turaka must be destroyed."

Teyla went to argue further but Ronon stepped in and she braced thinking he would only make matters worse. "We seem to hear that tune a lot around here, so what makes you think that there's no cure?"

"That is simple, because our doctors have tried to find a cure for many generations."

Ronon nodded his head. "I respect your word, but are you willing to take the gamble for a possible cure by stopping us from taking the Turaka back to our doctors?"

"What makes you think that your doctors can do better?" The official asked with an air of annoyance.

Ronon held up a bottle of Pantene shampoo, "Because they made this and all the other items you see in these posh bottles and fancy packets."

The official took the bottle from the Satedan and sniff at it after opening the cap. "What is this that smells so good?"

Ronon pointed to his dreadlocks, "Shampoo, it washes my hair real good. Now do you believe our doctors can find a cure?"

The official looked closely at Ronon's hair. "Maybe?"

"If you take the gamble and let us take the Turaka back home, we promise that our doctors will advise your doctors on how to make a cure. How's that for a deal?"

"May I keep this…err…shampoo?"

"Indeed you may." Teyla answered with a smile. Galen went to protest but Ronon kicked him.

The official looked satisfied. "We will let you take the Turaka but be advised Galen, this is your last warning." Without another word, he and his men turned tail and marched away.

Galen turned to the Atlanteans. "You owe me for that."

"Mr. Galen, if you can find us a quick transport back to the Ancestral ring, then we will come back with more goods." Teyla promised.

"Okay, missy, it's a deal and I'll have Mol take you there in his Doley driven cart. That's really fast."

tbc


	12. Caught Snooping

Part 12 – Caught Snooping

Kavanagh carefully approached the infirmary and inwardly smiled as Sheppard's cries reached his ears before he'd even entered the area. _Revenge, oh sweet revenge_, he thought, as he knew Weir would be with Sheppard by now.

Slipping into a side corridor where he could quietly observe while going unnoticed by the busy staff, he stuck close to the wall and watched as Sheppard yelled and turned restlessly on his bed while Weir watched him with distress written all over her face. _As I said_, e_motion most certainly drives your actions, Dr. Weir_, Kavanagh thought with a satisfied smile.

-SGA-

The Doley driven cart turned out to be a small broad wheeled contraption pulled by six of the weirdest looking animals that Teyla and Ronon had never seen. Back in Atlantis, they'd seen pictures of the Earth animals their friends called cows and horses. In many ways the Doley were very cow like but with extremely long bodies and a set of powerful legs, a little like a cart horse.

Ronon and Teyla carefully sat themselves down on the indicated seats and watched as the muscles rippled across the Doley's backs as they prepared to pull the strange cart and its three passengers, plus two precious Turaka, up the long and sandy track back to the stargate.

As they moved off, Ronon grunted something about it would be quicker to walk but he soon changed his mind when the cart picked up speed and raced towards their destination. Teyla closed her eyes and held on tightly to the side of the contraption and the bag containing the insects. As they reached neck-breaking speeds, she muttered a silent prayer, hoping that they would be in time to save the man they truly admired and loved.

-SGA-

Elizabeth stared in anguish as Carson and several nurses had to hold John down to stop him pulling the IV and monitors leads free. Up until a few minutes ago, John had been restless and yelling, however nothing like he was doing now.

Out of despair, Carson fished into his pocket and produced a syringe containing yet another dose of morphine even though he doubted it would have much effect anymore. Quickly injecting it into the IV, he hoped to god that it would give Sheppard some relief.

Although, there was another method of pain relief that they hadn't tried yet, so turning to an assistant, he said. "Let's use transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on him and see how he responds."

With a questioning look, Elizabeth turned red and tearful eyes towards Carson. Through John's screams, he explained. "TENS may give him some relief as it simulates the nerve endings just under the skin. I'm hoping it will block some of the pain messages getting through to his brain by providing an alternative stimulus. It works quite well in some cancer patients with severe uncontrollable pain."

Elizabeth nodded. "Please just help him if you can."

"Aye." Carson agreed as the assistant returned with the small TENS machine. It took four medical staff to hold John as Carson turned him over. Parting the hospital gown, the doctor carefully attached the electrodes to his back, two on either side of his spine and turned him over again. The staff continued to hold the colonel as Carson switched the machine on. Everyone waited with baited breath to see if there would be any improvement but John continued to thrash about and cry out.

With the fires of hell flowing through his veins, John's mind registered only one thing, pure never-ending agony. His thought processes, although dulled by morphine and the excruciating pain, did come up with one tiny desire, a desperate, deep wish to be taken to the black void. To slip away to a place where no more pain existed, where dreams of demons, torture, and death no longer cascaded through his tormented mind. He no longer knew what was up and what was down. He no longer felt attached in any way to the world that must still exist around him. The pounding of his heart echoed to the rhythm of the pain, maybe if he wished a little harder, the pounding would stop and the black void would come.

Elizabeth nearly jumped out of her skin when the monitoring machine did a sudden bleeping sound, only to stop again. "What was that?" she asked over the pounding of her heart.

Carson grabbed his stethoscope and listen to John's heart. Straightening, he murmured. "For a minute there it looked like he was going into cardiac arrest but it seems to have righted for the time being."

"That's not good it is?"

"No, lass. I don't know how much longer his body can stand such extreme pain but one thing's for sure, if we don't find a cure soon then…" Beckett didn't finish his sentence as Ronon and Teyla came rushing into the infirmary to present him with two small cages.

"We have two Turaka." Ronon called over John's noise.

"Oh, thank god!" Carson replied, and wasting no time, he rushed from the room clutching the deadly cargo.

-SGA-

Kavanagh watched the proceedings with an almost lustful joy at seeing the way Weir looked and reacted. However, bile rose to his throat whenever he looked at Sheppard. He had known that the Turaka would cause pain, although he had not envisioned this much. He would have to be very cold-hearted not to feel some guilt over causing such suffering. So now, he only hoped that the colonel would soon die and his screams would fade into memory.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of the brutish Ronon Dex and annoying Teyla Emmagan. Wondering what they wanted, he eased forward to watch and his heart started to hammer loudly when he saw them hand over what looked like two cages to Carson Beckett. The doctor quickly disappeared leaving Kavanagh wondering what the cages contained. Leaning forward, he desperately tried to catch their words over Sheppard's cries.

-SGA-

Both Ronon and Teyla were shocked to see how badly John had deteriorated since they'd been gone. His slim body seemed to be collapsing before their eyes. The dark circles around his staring, unfocused eyes looked as if he'd gone ten rounds with the strongest Wraith. His cries although still loud, came over hoarse and rasping from a throat that must be raw and inflamed. His white skin was mottled with bruises and rashes. Fever burned to leave him cold and trembling. The one foot that stuck out from under the mangled and rumbled bedding looked horribly swollen and inflamed with infection.

Unable to look anymore, Teyla turned away to face Elizabeth as she sat pale and traumatized, clutching John's hand. "We came as soon as we could," Teyla whispered.

Elizabeth looked up to acknowledge her. "I know you did and thank you for getting the insects so quickly."

Teyla quietly nodded and looked towards Ronon as he surveyed the room. Without a word, the big Satedan suddenly walked off leaving two very puzzled women behind.

-SGA-

Kavanagh had seen enough and deemed it a useless venture trying to hear over the ruckus Sheppard was making. Moving back into the shadows, he prepared to leave only to come face to face with one very formidable looking Satedan. "What were you doing, Dr. Kavanagh?" Ronon murmured, sternly.

"I…err…wanted to see Dr. Beckett but he doesn't appear to be here." Kavanagh answered, as calmly as he could muster.

"Likely story," Ronon growled just as McKay and Major Lorne appeared behind him.

"It's the truth!" The scientist shouted.

Major Marcus Lorne stepped forward and said in a cold voice. "We've been watching you for a quite a while now, Dr. Kavanagh. If you wanted to see the doctor, you've had plenty of opportunity."

"I know but I didn't like to disturb him when he was trying to help the poor Colonel."

"Lies nothing but flaming lies," Rodney muttered with contempt. "Ever since this whole matter began, you've told us nothing but lies."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dr. McKay?"

"Oh really," answered Rodney, laced with sarcasm, "Let's try with your unusual concern for Sheppard's health on Sovia and all the snooping around you did in the jumper. Trying to get to the Colonel's sleeping bag were you?"

"Why the hell would I want to do that?"

Rodney stuck his finger forcibly into the tall scientist's chest. "Ah…that's a good question. Why I wonder? I don't suppose it had anything to do with the one small and highly poisonous insect that you put into said sleeping bag, would it?"

Kavanagh held up his hands. "Oh, now you're talking a load of gibberish, Dr. McKay."

"Gibberish? Am I talking gibberish, people?" Rodney asked the others.

Ronon and Lorne both shook their heads. "You're making perfect sense to us," Lorne answered for them.

"Yep, thought so. Now where was I?" McKay pondered. "Ah, yes, you also tried to exact said sleeping bag on several other occasions without success. I believe once from the jumper after we landed and twice from the laundry. You then went to the mainland and contacted your partner in crime, and don't deny that because we have the proof. Then as if that wasn't enough, you've been standing here for a good twenty minutes gloating over your handiwork like some sick avenging angel."

Kavanagh said nothing to these allegations, so Ronon forcibly shoved him forwards into the infirmary. "You want to see more?" he whispered dangerously as he pushed Kavanagh so hard that the scientist lost his footing and crashed with a thud onto the hard floor.

From his prone position, Kavanagh rubbed his bruised arm and shouted. "You have no proof!"

Burning with anger, Ronon grabbed him by his collar, yanked him up, and slammed him into the nearest wall. Kavanagh hit the wall with another thud before falling face down onto the hard tiled floor again.

This time rubbing his jaw, Kavanagh eased himself up and turned furious eyes towards Ronon. "I'll have you for assault for that. Especially as you have no…"

Just as he was about to say more, John screamed out loudly. The sound boiled Ronon's blood leaving him seething with even more rage. Grabbing the scientist tightly around the throat, he lifted him off the ground and brought him close to his face. Through snarling teeth, he growled ominously. "We have plenty of proof."

Kavanagh felt light-headed but didn't faint as Ronon continued to hold him. However, a dark wet patch appeared between his legs.

Elizabeth looked on in shock and eventually decided to intervene. "What's going on?"

"We caught this creep gloating over his handiwork." McKay answered her.

Kavanagh turned a pleading look towards Weir while averting his eyes from Sheppard.

"Release him and let him talk, Ronon." Elizabeth requested, although she would have liked nothing more than to let Ronon continue.

Reluctantly, Ronon released Kavanagh, but stood menacingly over him. Kavanagh eventually found his breath and stammered. "They…they're accusing me of causing…of causing Colonel Sheppard's problem."

"And you didn't?" Elizabeth asked him coldly.

As his confidence began to return, Kavanagh shouted. "Absolutely not!" Then he tried using Weir's guilty complex as he continued. "Why is it whenever there is an issue it's always me you accuse of doing it first. If this was Earth, I could at least have a lawyer."

Major Lorne had gone over to speak to Teyla during Kavanagh's rant and everyone heard her gasp. "We have our proof." Teyla stated a few moments later. "These pictures and video shows Dr. Kavanagh with one of my people. His name is Davon."

Teyla suddenly stopped to wipe away a tear. "The word they use for John means, evil one. I do not understand why they should use such a horrible name but Major Lorne told me that he would arrange for a security team to go to the mainland to apprehend Davon. Then maybe we will have some answers. I would go with them but I think my place is here," she finished looking towards John's tormented form.

Rodney grabbed one of the pictures and studied it for a few seconds. "You stay here, Teyla. I'll go and make sure this man is apprehended."

"Thank you, Dr. McKay." Teyla whispered.

Elizabeth nodded to them both before standing up and turning towards Kavanagh who was being held tightly by Ronon again. "As leader of this expedition, I am placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of the United States Air Force. You will be held in Atlantis until I've consulted with the SGC."

Kavanagh went to open his mouth in protest, but Elizabeth silenced him with a curt hand gesture. "I wouldn't say too much if I was you," she muttered darkly, "And I should start praying very hard that the charge doesn't change to murder in the first degree." Turning to Lorne, she ordered. "Major, get him out of my sight."

"Yes, ma'am." Lorne replied as he turned to Ronon with a nod. The large Satedan looked like he wanted to deck the scientist again but after a pleading look from Teyla; he curbed his desire and proceeded to drag the man out of the room.

When they were out of sight, Elizabeth sat back down and began to sob. Teyla felt tears of her own form and without hesitation, she took the other woman in her arms and let go of her own tears.

The tunnel was long, never ending and filled with burning red-hot lava, which came in waves. He couldn't move down it for every step sent molten pain along his veins, searing, burning like acid. John couldn't remember why he was in this place of horrors. Had he fallen into a vat of acid? Only to suffer as his body refused to die.

Pain raced up the tunnel to meet him head on and he braced against it. At the last minute, his strength flowed away, spiraling down a drain as it failed him, leaving him to face the pain as his cries echoed through the air, weak and fading.

The next wave came hurtling towards him like a tsunami but fell short and weakened as it crashed over his body. The turmoil of waves washed at his feet, still threatening and agony ridden, but he was able to move forwards, towards the sound of crying that wasn't his.

tbc

_Wow, I can't believe that I've nearly got 140 reviews for this story, so far. Thanks for reviewing and please keep them coming. _


	13. False Hope

Part 13 – False Hope

Teyla dried her eyes with one of the paper handkerchiefs that she loved from Earth. Taking another, she presented it to Elizabeth, who took it gratefully from her hand.

The noise of the machines still bleeped loudly but Teyla suddenly realized that the colonel's cries had faded and her heart began to hammer as she turned towards his bed. Elizabeth sensed Teyla's tension and turned towards John with worry and fear only to find him staring into nothing but obviously awake.

To give her space, Teyla went around the other side of the bed and waited as Elizabeth bent over John to speak to him. However, her words faltered. What could she say to someone who was obviously in great pain and slowly dying? She smoothed back a lock of damp hair from his forehead and murmured. "If you can hear me, John, Dr. Beckett is working on a cure, so please stay with us and fight this."

John turned towards the voice. He couldn't make out the words spoken through the noise that still dominated his brain but he sensed the speaker was Elizabeth from the scent of her perfume. He tired to focus his vision on her but his eyesight was dimmer than before.

His throat felt raw and bone dry. Someone must have sensed this as he felt a sliver of ice slip into his mouth. The cold sent shivers through his chest and he braced as another louder wave of pain washed over his body leaving him exhausted. The wave settled down but didn't leave as it gently crashed and swirled against him, waiting for the opportunity to strike again.

He wanted to speak before the wave broke through the barrier, so he swallowed hard to clear his throat and quietly pleaded. "Please…make…this end. Please…I can't…I can't go on. Too much pa…." His voice faltered before he could say more.

Teyla looked towards Elizabeth and whispered. "Maybe he did not hear you?"

Elizabeth nodded and moved closer to take John's hand. Speaking slightly louder and slower, she told him. "I know this is very hard but please hang on for a little while longer. **John**…" she said louder to get his full attention. "Dr. Beckett is working on a cure. We have the creature that bit you, so Carson and his team are working on a serum as we speak. Do you understand?"

Her words rolled over him and the wave lapped a little stronger to dance at his feet. A small levee broke and a burst of pain shot up his spine to explode into his brain. A scream escaped his swollen lips and he whimpered as the wave pulled out again. "No more," he whispered. "Please…no…more."

Elizabeth moved over to sit on his bed and she held him as the tears rolled freely down her face again. Resting her cheek on the top of his head, she started to murmur. "Please ride this out just a little longer. Don't give up - **please**. We need you. I need you," she pleaded. Taking a deep breath, she waited a half a minute before continuing. "**John**, I do not want to run this city without you. I know I'm being selfish but I don't want anyone else here other than you. Surely, you're not going to let something as small as a beetle bring you down. We love you, John - **I love you**," she said clearly, before falling silent not caring if Teyla had heard her or not but hoping that John had.

He lay quietly in her arms, the comfort of her presence and the feeling of being loved kept the giant waves at bay. Little ones still lapped and twisted through his frame but those he could manage, so he drifted down into the welcoming arms of sleep.

This is how Beckett found things when he entered the room some hour or so later. Elizabeth sat upright and dozed, looking slightly uncomfortable as she held John in her arms. Teyla sat in a chair, her head resting on John's bed, deep in her own dream world.

Carefully going over to Elizabeth, Carson lightly tapped her on the shoulder. She came alert with a start but not enough to arouse John. Whispering, she asked in hope. "Have you got a serum yet?"

Beckett smiled and held up a small vial containing the precious antitoxin. Moving over to the IV port, he swiftly injected the substance. "It was quite a tricky process. The little buggers were worse than the slimiest snake. I'm telling ya, it was a darn good thing that Teyla and Ronon brought back two because the smaller one had very little venom to milk. Without the larger one, I do believe we would have failed to make the antitoxin."

Elizabeth swallowed hard. "Thank you, Carson. I suppose now we'll have to wait and see what happens?"

"Aye, lass." The doctor told her. "I just hope we're not too late."

-SGA-

Like a summer day washing over the tide of life, John woke to a bright intense light, as bright as the sun on its midday high. Powerful enough to cause pain behind his eyes, but only his eyes as the rest of his body felt strangely numb and devoid of any sensation. He remembered the terrible pain, expected it and he waited in fear for its onslaught. However, it never came as a cold emptiness like rushing ice spread rapidly through to his veins and the light began to fade.

In fear and panic, he tried to open his eyes and focus. He tried to move but his consciousness began to fail as it spiraled down into a sea of dark were the light shone no more. The darkness washed over him and he tried to swim through the rough and roaring waves. He tired to fight it but after a few desperate attempts, his struggles became feeble, weak, and meager until he slipped into black, fearful void and John Sheppard knew no more.

-SGA-

Elizabeth sat at her desk half awake from lack of a decent nights sleep as she tried to catch-up on some paper work. Oh, she had gone to bed last night but the sleep she so desperately needed refused to come as her mind worried over John and the events of the day.

Tossing and turning, she had agonized over what to do about Kavanagh and had fretted over Davon the Athosian who was now in their custody. After restlessly shifting for what felt like hours, sleep had eventually claimed her. Although, in the end, it had probably only been a few hours. She had woken early and realizing that sleep wouldn't return, she got up.

The strong hot tea she liked so much helped her stay awake as she glanced at various reports. Slowly, she worked her way through them as a trickle of people began to enter the control room as the city started to wake. She acknowledged their presence with a nod of greeting but went back to her work without saying a word.

In another fifteen minutes or so, she would go down to the infirmary and she how John was fairing. Last night had brought some hope, as he seemed a little calmer and less restless in his sleep.

Putting another half-read and boring report aside, she went to pick up the next one but stopped in mid-action when Carson entered the room, grim faced and apprehensive.

Elizabeth's heart started to hammer and the blood drained from her face. "Carson?" she questioned, almost afraid to ask.

The doctor moved over and took her hand. "I am so sorry," he whispered, "But John slipped into a coma twenty minutes ago."

Her heart hammered even faster and a lone tear escaped to cascade down her cheek. "What does that mean?"

Sighing loudly, Carson tried to form an answer that would help her. "To tell ya the truth, we don't really know. He was doing okay in the night, even showing signs of improvement. Then unexpectedly this happens. We don't know if it will be long term or just a temporary problem." Letting go of her hand, he rubbed his tired eyes before continuing. "We're going to do a battery of tests to see what the problem is."

Carson paused for a moment, as he really didn't want to tell Elizabeth what Teyla had told him no more than fifteen minutes ago. However, she had the right to know. "What I'm about to say is hard and I'm hoping that it isn't the case but according to what Teyla and Ronon found out on Menzur, falling into a coma is the last…is the last thing that happens before…death." He managed to say the last word but it came out as a choked murmur.

"So John's going to die after all?" Elizabeth whispered as tears started to stream down her face.

Carson grabbed hold of her hand again. "We don't know that for sure and I'll do my utmost to ensure that it doesn't happen but the next twenty four hours will be crucial."

"Why twenty hours?" Elizabeth asked listlessly.

Carson looked directly into her eyes and murmured, "Because according to Teyla's information that's about as long as a victim stays in a coma before they die."

-SGA-

Three somber faces greeted the various expedition members as they trickled into the dining room to eat their breakfast. As soon as the reason for the grave faces became clear, some members found their appetite somewhat diminished as they looked over towards the table where Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon sat in dismal despair.

McKay's anguish showed in the way he pushed his food around the plate instead of munching away with his usual healthy appetite. Teyla looked outwardly calm as she wore her sorrow well, but her eyes betrayed her inner most feelings as they glistened dangerously close to unshed tears. Ronon on the other hand couldn't stop his feelings from showing. His face portrayed anger and barely controlled rage.

"I can't sit here and let that monster go unpunished!" Ronon loudly announced, without warning. Rodney dropped his fork with a clatter, Teyla sighed, but a few heads nodded or muttered - yes, around the room.

McKay eventually answered him but it wasn't what Ronon wanted to hear. "You can't do that."

"Why the hell not, McKay!"

"Because, because you can't." Rodney spluttered. Ronon growled and showed his teeth in a threatening gesture, causing Rodney to throw up his hands in defense. "For crying out loud, calm down will ya. We've been through all this before. I've told you twice already that the…the creep has certain rights. He has a right to a trial, a right to a lawyer and in the country where he comes from, he is innocent until proven guilty."

Ronon's snarl echoed around the room but he calmed down enough to answer Rodney after Teyla had placed a soothing hand on his arm. "Yeah, we had similar laws on Sateda but I still don't like it."

"I know, big guy. Believe me, I don't like it either."

Teyla spoke up for the first time. "That Dr. Kavanagh could even consider doing such a thing and taking a risk with such a dangerous creature, he is indeed a Doucav."

Silence followed her words as everyone agreed with her. Suddenly, McKay's face lit up as an idea came to mind. Maybe it was childish but it was better than sitting around and doing nothing, so he spoke up. "We may not be able to do anything permanent to the creep but at least we could give him a scare."

Teyla nodded in understand knowing where McKay's idea was coming from. It took Ronon a little longer to catch on as he began to play with one of his knives.

Teyla restrained him. "I believe Dr. McKay intends to use a less obvious method. Isn't that so?"

"Yes, indeed." Rodney answered. "As I mentioned before the Turaka has many look-a-likes, all of which are harmless. In fact, the insect Teyla thought was called a Salmialantian short Salmi actually lives on M7G-777. Now if we could get our hands on one..."

"And place it in Kavanagh's bed." Ronon interrupted.

Rodney winced. "Yes, yes something like that."

Ronon was already up and out of his seat. "Okay, let's go!"

Rodney stalled him. "Not so fast, we don't want word of this getting back to Elizabeth as she may not approve, so we can't all go."

"You are right, Dr. McKay." Teyla put in. "I have a few favors to collect, so I will send one or two of my people to find this creature. M7G-777 is one of our trading planets so it shouldn't look too suspicious."

Rodney agreed. "Okay that's settled then."

Teyla nodded and smiled but Ronon looked slightly peeved at not being the one to take action.

-SGA-

Dr. Kavanagh sat listlessly on the edge of the metal bed that lined one side of his holding cell. The brig that normally held any captive Wraith had been hastily turned into his prison cell. It contained the metal bed, one uncomfortable chair, a small table for eating off, a bowl for washing and worst of all, a bucket that Kavanagh had refused to use at first. He had no privacy, as all four walls were open to scrutiny. On top of that, the forcefield barrier hummed slightly to add to his irritation.

He had complained bitterly about his accommodation but the only answer they had given was that he was lucky, as they had no captured Wraith to throw in with him right now.

Since his confinement, the only people he'd seen had been Sheppard's men. They treated him with distain and answered none of his questions. In a minute, it would be time for supper, one of the highlights of the day. Then, as if on cue, a guard entered his cell and placed a tray holding a covered plate and a glass of water on the table. Without a word, the man left.

Kavanagh sneered after him before sitting himself down at the table. Picking up the provided plastic knife and fork, Kavanagh lifted the metal cover wondering what was on the menu. He sighed as it looked like tasteless lasagna again with a large side salad. Taking his fork, he scooped a portion of the pasta and popped it into his mouth. Chewing half heartily, he moved to scoop up some of the salad just as a jet-black object crawled from under a lettuce leaf. With a scream and heart-stopping jolt, he fell back against the chair and passed out.

The next thing Kavanagh knew, one of Beckett's doctors was standing over him with a stethoscope placed firmly against his chest. He blinked several times at the man before remembering the bug. "There's a Turaka on my plate!" he shouted.

"Be quiet, I'm trying to listen to your heart."

"But…but."

The doctor gave him a condescending look before removing the stethoscope and draping around his neck. "You'll live, _unfortunately,_" he muttered under his breath. "Now what's this nonsense about a Turaka on your plate?"

"It must still be there." Kavanagh stammered as he attempted to rise.

"What a load of dribble," the doctor murmured as he reluctantly helped Kavanagh to stand.

"I'm telling you there was a Turaka on my plate! No doubt place by McKay and company to terrorize me."

The doctor remained calm, although he felt like hitting the creep in the mouth. "Why in heavens name would they do that with such a dangerous creature but let's have a look shall we?"

Together they moved to stand over the plate just Kavanagh noticed several other guards standing nearby with weapons held at the ready.

Looking closely at the salad, the doctor tut-tut as he removed a tiny black and gray spotted insect from one of the lettuce leaves. "These darn pesky bugs get everywhere don't they?"

"What?"

"It's just a type of lady bug, Kavanagh. Totally harmless, unlike the one you set on Colonel Sheppard." Saying no more, the doctor stormed out of the cell.

-SGA-

When Elizabeth heard about the incident, she questioned several likely suspects as to the truth. Of course, everyone denied any knowledge of the matter, so Elizabeth warned them but in reality, she applauded their action.

Tbc


	14. Difficult Decision

Part 14 – Difficult Decision

Twenty-four hours what was that in the infinite measure of time? Twenty-four earth hours or maybe the equivalent in terms of Menzurian time. Whatever, John Sheppard still lay deep in coma well after those estimates had long passed and hope began to fill the minds of his friends and colleagues. Hope that he would soon wake-up and all would be right with the universe.

Carson's tests had shown that his brainstem remained functioning and he could breathe unaided but apart from that, John showed no sign of movement or coming out of the coma. Not a twitch, not a blink, not even a heart warming Sheppard smile.

Consequently, the team took it in turns to encourage a reaction by sitting with him, talking to him, telling him about anything from their tricks on Kavanagh, to the latest gossip and the weather outside. They played him music and Teyla even sang one of her traditional songs. Its melody and lyrics filled with the joys of life but to no avail, John slept on.

-SGA-

Kavanagh paced from one end of the Wraith holding cell to the other. Weeks, he had been in this damn place for what must be weeks by now and yet hardly anyone had been to talk to him.

There had been several visits from Beckett's staff, when he had either fainted or complained about seeing black bugs wherever he turned. They thought he was crazy and as the weeks progressed, Kavanagh began to have doubts about his own sanity as his nerves went to pot. He couldn't sleep and couldn't relax without his mind conquering up images of the Turaka.

On top of that, other things had occurred. Other annoying and unexplainable things that had left Kavanagh convinced that McKay and company had arranged it all, but he had no proof.

About a week or so into his confinement, he'd been violently sick after eating some dreadful meatloaf. After checking him over, the doctor had explained - sorry you must have got a bad bit. After that incident, his appetite had gone down the drain and he'd lost pounds from his tall frame leaving him positively skinny.

Then one night, he'd been left in total darkness as all the lights went down. He hadn't slept a wink as his mind conjured up images of phantom shapes that drifted throughout his cell. The most alarming of all had been the shape of a giant Turaka as it passed directly over him. He had complained about it all the next morning but the guard had simply replied - the power in this part of the city was down and I can't help it if the ghosts of the Wraith decided to pay you a visit.

That and other incidents had left Kavanagh's nerves in a worse state than before. He had begun to repeatedly pace his cell like a caged tiger and mutter incoherently, which had resulted in some unwelcome visits from the retched psychiatrist Dr. Heightmeyer.

She had refused him medication but instead, had tried to get him to confess by telling him that his guilt was the cause of his anxiety and hallucinations. When that hadn't worked, she tried tricking him with lies, telling him that the Athosian had spilled the beans. Maybe he had, but Kavanagh wasn't falling for that trick. He told the woman repeatedly that they had no real evidence against him. She had also refused to answer any of his questions, so he no idea as to whether Sheppard had lived or died.

During her last visit, he had demanded to have his family lawyer sent out from Earth but his request had been deemed ludicrous. Then only yesterday, he demanded to see Dr. Weir but she had yet to appear.

Kavanagh started to pickup pace until he was nearly running from one corner to another, the guards turned and looked at him, their loathing towards him showing clearly on their faces. He didn't want to push them too hard but his frustration was boiling over again. Hitting one of the corner panels, he shouted with rage. "I demand to be let out of here! Go and tell Weir that she has no right to hold me here without an official charge, and I demand to see my lawyer!"

The marine nearest to his cell sighed and stared at him with murder in his eyes but he didn't say a word.

-SGA-

Teyla entered to small secure room where Davon sat in quiet contemplation. It wasn't her first visit to talk to him but as of yet, her fellow Athosian proclaimed that he was innocent of any wrong doing even though they had the video and pictures to prove otherwise. Worst still, he refused to acknowledge even knowing Dr. Kavanagh.

Dr. Heightmeyer had been to see him on several occasions and had diagnosed severe obsessive paranoia as a reaction to delusional jealousy, which in time had become chronic. She'd concluded that Davon was now suffering from manic-depressive illness coupled with alcohol abuse.

Now several weeks later, Teyla was willing to try to get a confession out of him once again, so she quickly sat herself by his side and asked. "How are you feeling today, Davon?"

"I am well, thank you but I ask you once again, how much longer I must sit here in this small room?"

Teyla looked at him sadly. "As long as it takes."

"Why do you hold me here? I have done nothing wrong."

Teyla sighed deeply. It was the same old story every time she talked to him but today she decided to try a different angle. Although, she hated to lie as it went against her principles, she wanted to see if she could get a different reaction out of him. "John Sheppard died last night," she whispered.

His reaction was almost immediate. Davon stood up and cried with joy. "Yes, yes, the Doucav is gone and his evil ways will no longer corrupt our love."

Teyla swallowed against her pain. "You love me so much that you wanted the Doucav to die?"

"Yes!" he shouted.

"So you and Kav planned it together?"

Davon answered automatically before he realized what Teyla had said. "Yes, it was flawless. I got the Turaka and Kav planted it in the Doucav's sleeping sack. Now everything is perfect and we can be married!" Teyla felt tears begin to form and Davon saw them and mistook them for tears of joy. "We can be married tomorrow, yes?"

Teyla wanted to scream and shout at him for all he'd put her through. For what he'd done to John Sheppard but she controlled her desire, as it was oblivious that the man was very sick of mind, so she quietly told him. "No, Davon, we will not be married tomorrow or any other day. Your jealously has nearly cost the life of a very special man and he could still die. All because you thought, I am yours. I was never yours and I never gave you a reason to believe that, even before we came to Atlantis. In your illusion, you assumed that Colonel Sheppard wanted me for himself and corrupted me. How wrong you are. He is a good friend and my team leader. And yes, I do love him but as one would a dear friend or brother." Her voice rose as tears began to fall, "That was all."

As her words started to sink in, Davon became angered. "You lied to me! The Doucav is not dead!"

"Firstly, John Sheppard is in no way a Doucav and yes, he is not dead." Teyla tensed and prepared for a hasty retreat as Davon looked like him would strike her but just as suddenly, the man broke down and began to sob uncontrollably. She watched him for a few minutes with great sadness wondering what to do next but the solution was taken out of her hands when Kate Heightmeyer and Carson Beckett entered the room. "Did you get it all on tape?" she asked quietly.

"Aye, that we did, love, and don't fret, we'll take care of him."

Teyla looked at them with great sorrow. "Thank you," she whispered before leaving the room.

-SGA-

"Dr. Weir, the Daedalus has just docked." The controller's voice informed Elizabeth over the radio.

Elizabeth sighed deeply at the news and acknowledged the message before turning her attention back to her tablet computer. Frankly, Caldwell's appearance was something that she wasn't looking forward to, not in the least.

Naturally, SGC had been informed regarding the situation concerning John and their suspect Dr. Kavanagh. They in turn had replied that Colonel Caldwell would deal with the matter when he arrived in Atlantis. That had been a few weeks ago now and Elizabeth had hoped that John would be out of his coma long before Caldwell's arrival, but no such luck. Therefore, she dreaded to hear what Caldwell would have to say on the matter.

She didn't have long to wait as Steven Caldwell's tall frame entered her office some fifteen minutes later. Exchanging the usual pleasantries, the colonel sat himself down opposite her. "I'm sorry to hear about the Lieutenant Colonel and the troubles you've had since my last visit."

"Yes, it's been a bit of a nightmare but Dr. Beckett is still confident that he'll recover soon."

Caldwell looked thoughtful. "I see but you're not going to like what I have to tell you," Caldwell held up his hand, "And before you get on to me about it, this is not my decision."

Elizabeth felt he heart begin to pound as her worst fear could soon be voiced. Trying to keep her composure, she asked. "What decision is that?"

"That Sheppard be sent back to Earth to be taken care of, ma'am."

Her heart pounded even faster. Her worst fear had just come true. "We're perfectly capable of looking after him here in Atlantis."

"Are you, really?" Caldwell asked. "Look, I know how you must feel, truly I do, but John Sheppard is Air Force, ma'am, and its normal that he be taken to one of our hospitals for the necessary care a patient in a coma needs."

Elizabeth looked at him questionably. "Aren't the circumstances a little different here?"

"Yes, you might say so but it doesn't change the fact that Atlantis is at war and as I said before, it is normal procedure to remove seriously ill or wounded service personnel from the combat zone, ma'am."

Elizabeth felt like screaming. "Under whose orders does this come from?"

"General Landry and Stargate command. I wouldn't try to change their minds if I were you."

Elizabeth looked him straight in the eye. "Can you read me so well, Colonel?"

"Dr. Weir, it wouldn't be you if you didn't try to fight this. And before you say anything, I don't want Sheppard to be replaced. In fact, whether you believe this or not, I've come to admire him and I think he's the best man to run the military here. I've watched him do an excellent job this past year or so, I'm only sorry that that asshole Kavanagh had to ruin things."

"So are you trying to tell me that John will get his position back once he's fully recovered?" Elizabeth quietly asked.

"I believe that if the Lieutenant Colonel recovers within the next month or so, he won't be replaced."

"And if his coma lasts longer than that?"

Caldwell looked at her earnestly. "Then there are no guarantees."

"I see, then I can only hope that John wakes up within the allotted time but believe me, Colonel, I will fight this whether SGC, the IOA or the Air Force likes it nor not. John belongs in Atlantis and that's were he's going to stay."

-SGA-

"Carson, I don't believe I'm hearing things right," Elizabeth cried a few hours later. "I thought you of all people would back me up on this?"

The Scottish doctor lowered his head in sorrow. "I wish I could, Elizabeth, but the truth is we aren't all that well equipped to look after a comatose patient over a longer period."

"But you're doing fine at the moment?"

"Aye, that we are but that's because at the moment we've no disasters to content with but should we need to evacuate or if we were to have a large amount of wounded to attend, then I can't honesty say that a nurse can still be spared to look after Sheppard. As it is, the nurses are doing extra shifts to accommodate his around the clock intensive care schedule."

Elizabeth looked at Beckett with watery eyes. "So you're telling me that John would be better off back on Earth?"

"If he doesn't come out of the coma soon, then, yes," Carson answered her despondently. "I'm so sorry, lass."

"So am I," answered Elizabeth, just as a distressed looking Rodney entered the room with Teyla and Ronon in tow looking equally as apprehensive.

"What's all this about sending Sheppard back to Earth?" Rodney asked for them.

"It looks like the Air Force wants him in one of their hospitals and Carson has just backed up that decision."

Rodney and the others threw daggers at the doctor. Carson held up his hands in mercy and explained things the same way as he did to Elizabeth.

At the end of his clarification, Teyla calmly suggested. "We could look after the Colonel until he recovers."

"I wish it was that easy, love, really I do but his needs include special nursing care that only comes with training."

Rodney piped up. "What special needs, I'm sure we can be trained quickly."

Carson looked serious. "The care includes turning to avoid pressure areas, physiotherapy to maintain muscle tone and the like. His eyes and skin need special treatment, and his nutritional needs must be carefully monitored. Then there's infection control, deep vein thrombosis prevention, the list just goes on and on. And have you ever changed a catheter or I.V. line, Rodney?"

Rodney and Ronon paled and even Teyla didn't look too happy at the prospect. "Okay, I get your point. So we just have to accept this then?" asked Rodney

"To be truthful, I really expected John to be out of the coma long before this. We now believe that he has some awareness but that doesn't seem to change. So as it stands, I just don't know how long this coma is going to last. He could come out of it tomorrow, next week, in a month's time or…" Carson added, "Years from now. I hate to say this but in the long run, it may be for the best if he was returned to Earth. "

The team seemed to deflate along with Elizabeth. After a few minutes, Rodney turned to ask her, "How long before the transfer?"

"Well, the doctors have all agreed that a prolonged space flight would not a good thing for him, so we will open the Stargate and John will be transported as quickly as possible back to Earth. Caldwell and the SGC are planning it all for tomorrow." Elizabeth paused for a few seconds to rub her eyes. "Kavanagh will also be transported at the same time."

"I hope you don't mean, literally together?" Ronon growled.

"No, John will be taken through first and Kavanagh will be escorted by a security detail a few minutes later."

"Then there's nothing more to say." Rodney murmured.

Elizabeth looked at them in turn. "It doesn't look like it.

Ronon looked even more distressed than he did before. Sheppard had become his brother, a man he trusted above all others, so he had to ask. "And what are his chances of coming back here when he wakes up?"

Elizabeth tried to console him and the others. "As long as if doesn't take years, Caldwell has assured me that his post would be kept open for him."

Rodney looked far from reassured. "And you believe him?"

"Yes, Rodney, I do. Look, we don't seem to have any choice on the matter. Whether we like it or not, John is still under Air Force command and orders are orders. I will fight them tooth and nail to make sure that he does get back here." Turning to Carson, she became resigned to the fact. "You'd better prepare him for the transfer."

"Aye, my staff will have him ready and I'll send a nurse through with him with all the medical details concerning his condition."

Elizabeth nodded. "Thanks you, Carson, and in the meantime let's hope for a miracle and John wakes up before tomorrow."

tbc

Thanks for your continuing reviews. Please keep them coming.


	15. The Endless Sound of Babble

Part 15 – The Sound of Endless Babble

Down time of an Atlantis evening was one of Rodney's favorite moments. It enabled him to get some work done without interruption. To hole himself up in his lab and unwind after a stressful day by working on an Ancient gadget or puzzling the wonders of their latest find.

However, as hard as he tried, he just couldn't concentrate long enough to relax into his work this evening. His thoughts kept turning to tomorrow and John Sheppard's departure from Atlantis. A departure that could spell the end of Sheppard's tour of duty as Rodney didn't trust Caldwell's word. The bad feeling refused to leave his mind and all this because of one selfish arrogant little asshole and his bitter, depraved act of revenge.

Rodney felt his rage mount at the very thought of Kavanagh. Ever since the man's arrest, he'd had to curb his desire to go down to the holding cell and knock him senseless. He knew Ronon felt the same. That was why Elizabeth had forbidden any of them to go anywhere near the cell. As a result, she had posted several large marines before the entry to enforce the order. Of course, getting them to cooperate in the bug caper and other things had been very easy.

McKay tried to clear his mind by looking back at his computer screen and its complex diagram of god knows what. He couldn't even remember what the drawing was related to. "Hopeless, hopeless," he muttered to himself. _How the hell could he work like this?_

Therefore, out of frustration, he drove his computer down and thought about some coffee or maybe some food. However, even his insatiable appetite refused to surface because how could he eat at a time like this. Tomorrow he was going to lose the only man he could honestly call a friend. Oh, he expected to lose him sometime but not like this. The scenarios in Rodney's head had always been one of heroics when Sheppard's luck had finally run out and death had claimed him in an act of sacrifice while saving their collective necks.

Thumping the computer lid down harder than he should, Rodney stormed out of his laboratory. He'd had enough, he was going down to the infirmary to tell John Sheppard that he'd better wake up or else he was in serious trouble with him.

Of course, by the time he reached Sheppard's room some of the wind had gone out of his sails. He deflated even more at the sight of his still and lifeless friend.

The duty nurse looked up from her place near Sheppard's bed and smiled at him. "Oh, you've just missed seeing Mr. Dex. He was here for quite a while trying to talk the Colonel out of his coma but as you can see it didn't work. Mind you, Mr. Dex is not a man of many words."

"No that's true," answered Rodney, looking somewhat distracted and awkward.

The nurse must have noticed his discomfort. "Look if you'd like some time on your own with him, I could leave for a while. Just keep an eye on the monitors and let me know if anything changes. I'll be right next door."

Dragging over a chair, Rodney muttered. "Sure, fine and thank you." The nurse gave him a reassuring smile before leaving the room.

Suddenly faced with being alone with Sheppard, Rodney found himself uncharacteristically at a loss for words, so he thought of all the negative things about John to rile his need. "You know Sheppard you're one selfish son of a…" He hesitated to say bitch thinking that would be disrespectful to the John's mother, whoever she was. "You lie here making us do all the work. Getting far more beauty sleep than you really need because you're already beautiful enough or at least that's what the women always say. Personally, I find you ok looking but as you know, I'm not into that kind of thing. I prefer blonde-haired women, not unshaven, scruffy-haired men."

Rodney hesitated for a minute to mutter to himself, "_Oh god did I just say that?_ _It's a good job it's just me and sleeping beauty here,"_ before continuing his rant at Sheppard. "If you think I'm going to give you a wake up kiss then think again. I'll leave that to Elizabeth or Teyla or Chaya or Teer or the little girl that wanted to marry you or any number of ascended women just waiting in line to get a bit of good old Sheppard. Am I jealous you'd ask, yep you bet I am, but you know what, if you'd just open those eyes for me, I'll forgive all that Kirking around."

Rodney paused, no reaction. "Okay," he drew the word out just as Sheppard often did, "How about the latest bit of news. Now listen carefully and take this all in because it's important. They're shipping your lazy ass back to Earth tomorrow!! You hear me, it's goodbye Atlantis as you speed back home to face an uncertain future because I for one don't believe or trust Caldwell when he says you can come back when you decide you've had enough beauty sleep. You know what the brass is like, especially with a loose cannon like you. Oh, he can come back they say, but when it comes to the crunch. Well, you know what I mean. On top of that, Caldwell is going to be running things while you're taking a nap. Now you know what happened the last time he took over. He came in and changed everything you had done. I distinctly remember you complaining about it for weeks afterwards. Now just imagine how much crap he can cause if given more time…" McKay sighed and suddenly stopped as he finally ran out of steam.

Turning away, he took a few minutes to calm down and muster up enough energy again to carry on talking to Sheppard, although it seemed to be a pointless one-sided conversation. "You know something; I'll have no one to turn to when you're gone. You're the only one who puts up with all my crap and still stays a friend. That's it, you see, I'm a selfish bastard too and I don't want you back on Earth to be looked after by a bunch of petty nurses while I'm stuck here having to save everyone's sorry ass without any help from you. See, I'll even admit that you come in handy from time to time." Rodney paused to take a breath as he composed himself to carry on and incredibly, for the next twenty minutes, he rambled on in much the same way.

-SGA-

John lifted his head as the black void twinkled with lighter points. He moved to one side and listened to the murmur of a distant wave of sound. It sounded like a voice but through the murk and black that surrounded him it was hard to tell. In places, the darkness remained intense but here and there, small breaks would appear only to close over again if he focused too long.

He couldn't move, couldn't work out where he was and why. For an eternity it seemed, he wanted out of this place but nothing changed. The voice grew slightly louder and he tried to latch on to it only to let it slip and fade. Crushing disappointment replaced hope and he hung his head and cried as the total darkness threatened to return. Then suddenly like a ray of sunshine, warmth slowly crept into the darkness and smoothed his anguish. The twinkling lights grew in number to form a star field across his vision. The murmur of the droning voice became incessant. Sometimes louder, sometimes softer but the message was always the same as it urged him to follow but his legs refused to move being weighted down with lead. A wave of light washed close by and he tried to grab hold of it to pull himself along but it slipped from his fingers. It happened repeatedly and he began to tire.

-SGA-

Rodney finally and completely ran out of steam. He was tired and by the end of his conversation totally depressed. With a very frustrated gesture, he thumped Sheppard's bed, hard and screamed. "Wake up, you bastard!"

"Rodney! That was totally uncalled for!" Elizabeth's voice carried across the infirmary.

McKay turned to her and at least had the decency to look slightly ashamed. He hung his head in despondency. "I was just trying to get him to wake up."

"By stabbing him with nasty words. Look, I know you're angry and upset at the thought of John going back to Earth but we have to accept it and take it from there. When he wakes up and if they go back on their word, then believe me, I would fight it tooth and nail because Atlantis needs him more than almost anyone else here."

"More than me?" Rodney asked in a small voice.

Elizabeth never fully understood McKay and his inflated ego. "As I've said before, I can't afford to lose either of you. Therefore, I guess that puts you and John on an equal footing. You're a team and together with Teyla and Ronon, you work miracles sometimes. I think it baffles everyone in Atlantis, and you are a team I'm not willing to give up, no matter what the USAF, SGC, or the IOA have to say. So when John wakes up from this, then we're getting him back even if I have to go to the President himself."

Rodney seemed utterly awed by her resolve and dedication. "Well that puts my mind a bit more at rest and we'll all back you up if it comes down to a fight."

Elizabeth smiled. "I'm sure you will. I'm not the only one fond of our resident scruffy haired flyboy." Then she turned to Sheppard. "Rodney's right, John, it's time to wake up. I'm sure you can do it if you try. Come on, John, wake up!" she called very loudly.

-SGA-

A rush of light descended even closer and this time John grabbed it and hung on for dear life. A familiar voice called out to him, so he rode the light to follow the voice, and at the end of the journey, he opened his eyes.

-SGA-

"Wow, I think the whole of Atlantis just heard that," McKay muttered as he covered his ears in jest. "I didn't know you could…" but Rodney's voice tailed off as he gapped towards John's bed.

Elizabeth's attention had been on Rodney but she followed his gaze and felt tears form as she looked at John. She let go of the tears as she locked onto John's lovely hazel green eyes for the first time in weeks. They were full of confusion but he was back.

John looked at her and tried to speak but the need for sleep flowed through him, so he drifted down into its comforting arms.

Rodney stood speechless as Elizabeth turned back to him. "Go and tell the nurse to get Carson," she requested quietly.

Coming out of his trance, Rodney rushed off, for once doing as he was told. When he had gone, Elizabeth reached over and gently pushed an unruly piece of hair out of John's eyes. He stirred slightly but didn't wake. To Elizabeth's this movement brought a thread of joy and her fear that the coma had returned became unfounded as she let tears of happiness roll down her cheeks.

The sound of rushing feet brought her out of her contemplation and she quickly wiped the moisture from her eyes to face Carson and the night duty nurse. "He woke up and promptly fell asleep again. Is that normal?"

"Aye, I'll run a few tests to ascertain his level of consciousness but it's quite normal that people coming out of a coma promptly sleep afterwards." Carson told them as he checked the monitors. After a few minutes, he straightened with a smile after listening to John's breathing and heart. "I think we're seeing the end of the tunnel. I can honesty say that he's out of the coma and in a normal sleep pattern."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Rodney piped up. "I can't wait to see Caldwell's face in the morning."

"Believe it or not, Rodney, but I think he'll be pleased." Elizabeth stated. "Well," she smiled, "I don't know about you people but I'm off to bed for a good nights sleep."

"Aye, that sounds like a good idea and I suggest you do the same, Rodney?"

"What? Oh, I…err…can't I sleep here? What if he wakes up again? I don't think he should be left on his own."

Carson smiled and looked pointedly at the Elizabeth and the nurse. "Alright, Rodney, ya can stay but try to get some sleep. Ya look as if ya need it."

"Oh thanks, Carson, I could say the same about you," Rodney said as he made himself comfortable on the bedside chair.

"Well, I was just about to go to bed when the nurse called me. But seeing as John's out of his coma and my minds now at rest, I'll be following Elizabeth's example and getting my own good nights sleep."

Rodney nodded to him and wished him and Elizabeth goodnight as the nurse went back to resume her place across the room.

She turned the nights down low and Rodney soon found himself drifting as exhaustion finally claimed him and he fell into his own much needed sleep.

-SGA-

Light shining through the window woke John from his dream-filled sleep. He blinked several times to clear his eyes of fuzz and take in his surroundings. Staring at a sleeping, snoring McKay, his eyes clouded with bewilderment. The confusion spread as he tried to remember why he seemed to be in the infirmary yet again.

His mind cleared and he could vaguely remember being sick and feeling dreadful, then came a sense of never-ending pain, noise and no sight other then the burry outline of his friends. Conscientiously reaching out, he tested his senses, finding no pain and no discomfort. He could see again and the loud buzzing noise no longer filled his head.

He coughed slightly to clear his throat and a nurse appeared as if out of nowhere with a drinking cup. "Here's some water, Colonel. Take a few sips but don't overdo it for now," she instructed as she raised the bed head slightly and placed the straw between his lips.

John did as he was told, relishing the taste of the cool water as it slipped down his parched and aching throat. He swallowed a few slips more before sleep claimed him again.

The nurse smiled as she gently lowered the bed and tucked the blanket snuggly around his shoulders. It may take days before Colonel Sheppard would stay awake long enough to have any form of conversation but he would bounce back now, of that she was sure.

-SGA-

The early morning mist floated over the city as Steven Caldwell took in a breath of fresh sea air from his place on the main balcony. He stretched his tall frame and contemplated the pleasure he was going to have running the cities military for the unforeseeable future. What he'd told Weir was in many ways true but the opportunity was like a dream come true. Caldwell strongly believed that such a position should not include off-world travel and he did not intend to join any of the teams. No, he was looking forward to putting the cities military in true order and running things his way for a while. He had no doubts in his mind that Sheppard would be back but Caldwell hoped that it wouldn't be for a while.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Elizabeth Weir. He turned to greet her and noted that she looked surprisingly cheerful, all things considering. "Good morning, Dr. Weir. Is everything ready for the transfer?"

Elizabeth smiled. For some reason, she was going to enjoy dropping this bombshell on the colonel. "There's no need for that, Colonel. I'm…"

Caldwell interrupted. "But the Air Force insists, doctor. I thought we'd come to an agreement?"

"Yes, we had but I'm sure Colonel Sheppard can recover better surrounded by his friends here in Atlantis."

"What do you mean recover?" Caldwell asked warily.

Elizabeth looked him straight in the face. "I'm surprised the Atlantis rumor mill hasn't reached your ears yet, Colonel. A rumor that I'm happy to say is true. John Sheppard came out of his coma last night and Dr. Beckett has assured me that he will make a full recovery within a week or so."

Caldwell's face was dumb struck for a minute before he realized how unprofessional he must look. Forcing a smile, he replied. "I'm very glad to hear that but…"

This time Elizabeth interrupted. "There are no buts. Atlantis is will fine until Colonel Sheppard is back on his feet. Major Lorne always does an excellent job in his stead, so there's nothing to stop you from going back with the Daedalus as per norm."

Caldwell looked like he still wanted to object but he held his tongue. "What about Kavanagh?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not waste energy by opening the gate back to Earth just for him. Of course, that means I'd like you to transport him onboard the Daedalus."

Caldwell could see the logic in her decision but he didn't like it very much. After a little pause, he replied. "Very well, we'll secure him in the brig. You know, I hate to say this but he'll probably come off lightly. I can't see the SGC or IOA allowing a public trial. So if he plays his cards right, he could go for a plea bargain and claim that certain circumstances drove him to the action."

"That's what I'm afraid of and believe me, Steven; it's at a time like this that I wish we had our own judicial system here in Atlantis."

Caldwell smiled slightly. "Yes, but that would mean having a whole bunch of lawyers under your care."

Elizabeth hid her own smile behind her hand. "It doesn't bare thinking about."

"No." Caldwell chuckled. "Look if it's any consolation, I'll do my best to make sure Kavanagh doesn't come off lightly. I can't guarantee anything but we in the Air Force don't take kindly an assault against one of our own. I'm pretty sure that General Landry will feel the same."

"Thank you, Steven. I'm just sorry we have to leave this matter to you."

Caldwell gave her a reassuring look. "Think nothing of it. Now if you don't mind I'd like to visit the Lieutenant Colonel and then inform the SGC that he won't be coming back."

Elizabeth threw him a disbelieving look. "Don't you trust our word?"

"I'm not implying that you're lying about Sheppard but I'd like some reassurance that he's on the mend." Caldwell answered her. Then he sighed and looked her straight in the eye. "I won't deny that I'm a little disappointed that I won't be staying longer but I am pleased that Sheppard is going to recover."

"Believe me, so am I. Thank you for being honest with me, Steven." Elizabeth stated.

tbc


	16. Colonel Behaving Badly

Part 16 – Colonel Behaving Badly

Elizabeth stood staring at him while making no effort to keep the hatred and distaste from showing on her face. She kept silent for an indefinite time, weighing Kavanagh up as he persistently paced, and she wondered what thoughts were currently passing through his sick and malevolent mind.

Kavanagh suddenly stopped his relentless pacing and he tried very hard to return her stare but after a few minutes, his nerves got the better of him, so he turned away.

Elizabeth took this as a cue, as she simply asked. "Why?"

Kavanagh turned his blood shot eyes towards her again and sneered. "Why? What do you mean by that?"

"What drove you do such an evil thing, Dr. Kavanagh?"

Kavanagh looked her squarely in the face. A flash of arrogance and conceit fortified his features before he spoke. "I still don't know what you're talking about."

Elizabeth felt anger begin to build but restrained the desire to let it show, as that would be playing right into Kavanagh's hands. He wanted her to lose it, so she called upon her years of diplomacy and the times when she'd been called upon to negotiate with some of earth's less desirable individuals. As she spoke, she pictured Kavanagh as one of those, it wasn't difficult. "Why did you do such a terrible thing to Colonel Sheppard? He never gave you any reason to hate him. In fact, he remained neutral, as far you were concerned. Only last year, he told Dr. McKay that you came under the people he needed to protect and you repaid him with untold pain and suffering. Why?"

"Nice try, Dr. Weir, but I still don't know what you're talking about," answered Kavanagh, his haggard face smeared with contempt.

"So you continue to deny any wrong doing? I find that unbelievable under the circumstances."

Kavanagh threw her a questioning look. "And why is that?"

"Because as you've been told countless times, we have the proof. So why not confess and be done with it."

Kavanagh moved towards the edge of his cell. He evaluated Elizabeth for a minute before replying. "I will not confess to a crime I did not do."

Elizabeth clenched her hands tightly and counted to ten, thinking to herself, _did he_ _really believe that he was innocent?_ Curbing her frustration, she said."Then I suppose the Turaka flew to Atlantis from the mainland, entered the jumper, and decided to snuggle into the Colonel's sleeping bag all by itself?" Kavanagh's only answer was an audible snort of derision.

"Of course," Elizabeth continued. "The creature was also capable of unzipping the sleeping bag. I would say that's quite a feat for something so small."

Kavanagh said nothing to that, but he suddenly took Elizabeth by surprise when he asked. "Did Sheppard die?"

"What's it to you? You never cared about him. All you ever cared about was your own precious skin, like the time when the jumper was stuck in the gate."

"And you disregarded the possible dangers just to save him! You made me look like a fool and belittled me in front of everyone because of your infatuation for him!" Kavanagh was shouting but Elizabeth was pleased, so she let him rant. "That's all you ever cared about! Your lover boy could do nothing wrong! You jeopardized the expedition repeatedly just for him. I saw the way you worried every time he was injured or late in coming back from a mission. Then you went up against the SCG just to keep him by you. You couldn't live without him, so that's why I took him away." Kavanagh suddenly stopped when he realized what he had just said. "I mean…," he stuttered but it was already too late.

Elizabeth was inwardly pleased with his confession but she looked at him questioningly. "You were jealous of Sheppard weren't you? It wasn't just revenge on me, it was a petty need to get back at a man with more charisma, personality and courage than you could ever achieve in your wildest dreams. John Sheppard was everything you could never be, so you wanted to destroy him. That is truly evil, especially as John most certainly didn't deserve it. I feel sickened just to look at you, Doctor, and I hope they throw you into the deepest cell to rot for a very long time. However, as of tomorrow that will be out of my hands because, you will be returned to Earth onboard the Daedalus to face justice. You put Sheppard through hell and back but the victory isn't yours. John will recover and those who love him will help him to do so."

Without another word, Elizabeth turned and walked away to leave Kavanagh alone. Well not quite alone, as a small black insect crawled out from under his bed.

-SGA-

Whispering voices brought John back to reality for the umpteenth time it seemed. He felt as if he'd slept for a year or so, maybe he had. During one of his wakeful periods, he clearly remembered Carson telling him that he'd been in a coma. If that was the case then waking up was sure proving a difficult task.

This time however, John finally felt the never-ending fog and apathy begin to lift, so he fought to open his eyes and let them stay open. He cast his gaze in the direction of the voices and grinned slightly at the sight of Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon having a hefty discussion over some trivial topic, no doubt.

"Hey, guys, keep it down will ya," he tried to shout, but his voice came out all throaty. His team looked up at the sound of his croak, and in an instant, they were by his bed.

"Have you finished sleeping now?" Rodney asked with an edge of irritation.

"Dr. McKay," Teyla interposed. "It is not the Colonel's fault that he can not stay awake for very long."

"Yes, I know but he's had enough sleep to last a life time."

"Its okay, Rodney," John managed to croak out, "I'll try to stay awake a little longer this time." His sentence ended in a cough, so Teyla quickly raised the bed and grabbing the drinking cup, she brought it to his lips. John drank gratefully and cleared his throat. "Thanks," he whispered.

Putting the cup on the side table, Teyla said. "You are welcome, Colonel. Anytime you feel like some more just say the word."

_What goes in, must come out_, Rodney thought as he glanced towards the collection bag and quickly turned away in disgust. Oh, how he hated hospitals and all the nasty paraphernalia that went with them but once again they had saved his friends life. Therefore, he cleared things from his mind and asked. "Are you feeling any brighter now?"

John looked at him with bleary eyes. "Umm…a little. How long have I been out of things this time?"

The team members looked at each other. This was the question that none of them wanted to answer but Sheppard had the right to know. Incredibly, Ronon spoke up before the others could. "It's been five days since you first opened your eyes and before that, four weeks."

John looked shocked. "So I've been out of commission for nearly five weeks?"

"Yeah, 'fraid so." Ronon muttered in his usual no nonsense manner.

"Can you remember anything?" Rodney asked without thinking.

John's face clouded. "Remember what?"

"Dr. McKay, I do believe this subject is best handled by Dr. Beckett." Teyla stated.

"Its okay, Teyla, I think I know what Rodney's getting at and the answer is, kind of. I can't remember much but the memory of being sick, something to do with Corporal Higgins hitting Sgt. Mason and then…oh god…I remember being in unbearable pain but the rest is fuzzy. What the hell caused it?" Sheppard asked softy.

The team all looked at each other again but they were saved from answering by the appearance of Carson Beckett and Elizabeth Weir.

Carson moved over to John's bed. "Ah…so you're awake for a wee bit longer at last, Colonel."

John looked up at all the faces surrounding his bed. "Yeah," he said wearily, "And I'm trying to get some answers before dreamland claims me again." This time all five Atlantis expedition members looked at each other and John became suspicious. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like the…answer?" he murmured around a huge yawn.

Elizabeth decided as expedition leader that it was her duty to tell him. So with the approval of the others, she sat down by his bed and started to describe everything that had transpired.

By the end of her telling, John had become agitated. "You mean that...that bastard Kavanagh did it on purpose?" Everyone nodded. "God…if I had the strength right now to get out of bed, I'd personally knock him from here to eternity."

"Believe me, Sheppard." Ronon piped up, "I would have done it, but they wouldn't let me."

"That would have made the situation worse, Ronon." Elizabeth stated. The next part she really didn't like to tell John. "Anyway, it's now out of our hands because Kavanagh has been sent back to Earth to face justice there."

If John hadn't felt so drained, he would have laughed, loudly. Instead, he settled for a loud snort, which caused another coughing fit. This had everyone scrambling for the drinking cup. Then after a sip of water courtesy of the winner, Carson, he managed to croak out what he wanted to say. "Meaning, he'll plead a moment's insanity. Get sentenced to a couple of years in a psychiatric unit and, bob's your uncle, he's a free man."

Rodney and Elizabeth exchanged a wearily look because Sheppard had just voiced their concerns. "I'm hoping that's not the case for your sake, John," Elizabeth murmured. "The man needs to be brought to justice and Kate Heightmeyer has compiled a lengthy report stating that he was in his right mind when he planned the act of revenge. Although, even his thick and selfish skin had been affected by his imprisonment, resulting in a near nervous breakdown," she said, throwing an accusing look towards Rodney and the others. They kept perfectly innocent faces, as she concluded. "Still, we'll have to wait and see what the outcome will be, but I'm guessing it could take months."

"Yeah," John whispered. He wanted to ask more but his eyelids had started to droop and the fog closed in. He tried to fight it but it was a losing battle, so he closed his eyes and smiled as the distinctive Scottish lilt of his favorite doctor could be heard ordering everyone out.

-SGA-

The rattle of an infirmary trolley woke him up for the third consecutive time that day and John was beginning to grow pretty tried of it. Not that he really needed anymore sleep, but what else could you do when faced with endless hours of boredom while stuck in the infirmary with no sign of freedom in sight.

Read, he was tired of that and even the few smuggled copies of Playboy hadn't helped much. If he used his laptop, he found himself drifting off over some boring mission report. His Sudoku book didn't help very much because he'd done most of the puzzles within the first day of being given it. Playing computer games wasn't so much fun on your own and he wasn't into patience as Elizabeth was. In addition, he still didn't have the stamina to concentrate long enough on a game of chess against the tactical genius who'd programmed his computer's version.

No, he was definitely beginning to go stir crazy especially now that the highlight of the day had come and gone in the form of Ms. Waterstone, resident physiotherapist and torturer. Her no-nonsense tones still rang in his ears even a couple of hours after she'd left. '_We need to get some strength back into your legs, Colonel. If you don't cooperate, you won't have the strength to walk again. Now bend your knees for me, and then push. No, no, no, you're not doing it right.' _No matter what he did, he never did things right for Ms. Waterstone. So once she'd gone, he practiced the exercises in peace, working up strength until exhaustion limited him.

Now he weighed up his options of a little exercise away from his bed. The catheter had been removed a day ago, along with the IV and monitoring lines. Therefore, he now had the freedom to get up and he really needed to take a leak.

Looking around, he noted that the nursing staff were all very busy with several other patients that had just brought in after an off-world skirmish. His own little area was cordoned off from the main area by several, well placed, privacy screens, so he could see them but they couldn't see him so good. He spared a look at the side of his bed and noted that someone had thoughtfully left the urinal bottle for his use. God how he hated using those things, but worse still was the dreaded bedpan. No, the quicker he could get up, the quicker he was free of their humiliation.

With his mind made up, he carefully swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself up. The world spun a little for a few minutes but once his balance righted itself, the room settled back into its normal place. Cautiously, he put one foot in front of another and even though his legs felt a bit like the blue Jell-o he'd had for lunch, they managed to support his light frame as he shuffled across the room.

Thankfully, the bathroom wasn't that far from his bed, just one-step more and then, freedom. Well, not quite freedom but at least he could take care of matters in privacy now.

The bathroom like many in Atlantis was functional and relatively plain in design. A row of cubicles, five in all, lined one wall. Two wash hand basins were neatly placed opposite and a small annex led to several shower units. Everything worked automatically much like modern public restrooms back on Earth, although the sensors were less obvious. Therefore, it seemed that the Ancients hadn't gone in for pure luxury when it came to the mundane and necessary functions of life, as most of their efforts had centered on the beauty of the cities living space and passageways. Not that the bathrooms were ugly or anything but they just wouldn't meet the sumptuousness standards of some high-class hotels back on Earth.

Nevertheless, the bathroom still had plenty of marble hard surfaces on which to fall if John didn't watch where to put his feet. And the last thing he needed right now was a broken arm or leg, so he gingerly made his way across the polished surface to one of the toilet cubicles.

Opening the door, he entered and locked himself in. However, he began to question his wisdom as the whole effort of getting here had knocked the stuffing out of him and the cubicle began to swim before his eyes. He felt hot and clammy as beads of perspiration formed on his skin. A lightheaded feeling began to spread as the blood drained from his face, so he quickly sat on the toilet seat and lowered his head between his knees. Although unfortunately, it didn't make an ounce of difference, and as he felt himself blacking out, he thought, _I should have used the damn bottle after all._

-SGA-

Carson Beckett considered himself overworked and underpaid or at least that's what it felt like most days in Atlantis. He was weary and in darn need of a nice cup of tea, so after dealing with the last patient, he made his way to his office. However, on the way he happened to glance towards Sheppard's bed and did a double take when he noted that the Lieutenant Colonel wasn't lying amongst the rumpled sheets.

A huge sigh escaped his lips as he turned to his staff. "It looks like we've got a fugitive on our hands. Did anyone happen to notice where he escaped to?" A chorus of no's and headshakes greeted him. "When was the last time anyone checked on him?"

A pretty blond nurse called Susan piped up. "I checked about an hour ago and he was asleep, but I afraid I've been busy since then."

"Aye, like we all have, love. Okay, he can't have gone far and he shouldn't have gone without help but…well that's Colonel Sheppard, Mr. Independent, for you." Carson paused for a minute. "I'm guessing the most logical hideout would be the bathroom, so I'll check that first."

Carson carefully entered the room in question and found it empty, or at least the shower and wash-up area was. However, he noted that one of the cubicles doors was firmly closed, so he called out. "Colonel are you in there, son?"

Silence greeted him, so he tried the door and found it locked. "I don't believe it," he muttered to himself. The locking mechanism was straightforward in its design and like many; it was just a simple latch. The only trouble was there was no access to the latch from outside the cubicle. Stupid really but this area was probably not used as a hospital by the original Ancients. Beckett had complained about it many times but no one had ever got around to changing the locks.

_Well, let's not panic_, he thought as he got on his knees to see if the wayward colonel was on the floor. Unfortunately, unlike the cubicles in the United States, these only had a small gap at the bottom. There was nothing to see under the door but on close inspection, he could just see a little tuft of dark hair sticking out the doorframe about a quarter of the way up.

Carson tried calling again. "Colonel! Come on, lad, wake-up for me, ya need to unlock the door!"

Still no answer, so Carson dived into the next cubicle, got up on the toilet seat and tried to look over the dividing wall. He could just make out the slumped form of John Sheppard, but he couldn't tell what condition he was in.

Once again, he shouted down. "Colonel! Open the door for me!" His shouting must have attracted attention because he suddenly found himself looking down at the concerned faces of Ronon and Teyla as they entered the cubicle.

"Need some help there, doc?" Ronon called up to him.

"Aye. The Colonel seems to have collapsed and the daft bugger has locked the bloody door."

Teyla looked at Ronon and together they shooed the doctor out of the cubicle. Then Ronon proceeded to lift Teyla until she could clamber over the top of the dividing wall. It was a tight fit but the petit woman soon lowered herself down the other side being careful not to tread on the prone figure below her. Reaching over, she quickly opened the door to allow the doctor access. As the door opened, Sheppard slumped forward and would have landed flat on his face if Carson hadn't of quickly caught him.

Laying John out on the bathroom floor, Carson assessed the problem but thankfully, the colonel was already coming around. He tried to push himself up but the Scotsman pushed him back down. "Easy, lad!" he called, reaching for his stethoscope and placing it against John's chest.

John gave up his struggles and rested his head against the floor. His confused brain registered the worried faces of Ronon and Teyla, and after Beckett removed his stethoscope, he asked. "What happened?"

"Ya passed out is what happened, lad. Ya silly bugger, I don't remember anyone telling ya it was all right to get out of bed. Now did they?"

John looked embarrassed. It was bad enough facing Carson's wrath but having two of his team witness it. "I needed the toilet and the staff were kind of busy," he muttered in defense.

"Aye, that's true but that's what the little bottle by ya bed's for."

"Give me a break, doc, you know how much I hate using those things. I thought a little trip to the restroom would be easy. Guess I'm not as healthy as I thought."

Carson looked exasperated. "Aye, you're right about that. My god, lad, ya were in a coma for weeks and you've been awake now, for all of nine days. Give it time and use the bloody bottle or I'll put the catheter back in."

John blanched at that and slowly nodded. "Okay, doc, I'll try to be good."

"Aye, you'd better be. Come on, Ronon, let's get him back where he belongs."

Between the two of them, they lifted John off the floor and started to guide him out of the room. Teyla heard John's plaintive voice call, "But I still need the toilet."

Beckett's voice came loud and clear. "The bottle is still by ya bed."

John's loud groan echoed around the bathroom as they ushered him through the door.

tbc


	17. Time For a Change

Part 17 – Time for a Change

Weeks later, so it seemed to John, he was finally released from Carson's clutches with strict instructions to take life easy until he was cleared for light duty. After the bathroom fiasco, John didn't intend to disobey Beckett but in his humble opinion, he was fit enough for duty now. Resigned to more days of boredom, he ambled along to his quarters and thought the door open for the first time in nearly seven weeks.

The sight that greeted him wasn't bad but somehow the room felt gloomy and dark. Someone had cleared up a little by the look of things and his bed was newly made up. The drapes were pulled across the window at the head of his bed and for some reason they looked drab and gray leaving John to wonder when they had last been cleaned.

It was crazy but he suddenly felt the need to do some spring-cleaning starting with the curtains. Dropping the bag containing the things he'd used in the infirmary, he dragged over a chair and stood on it to get the drapes down. Amazingly, once the curtains no longer covered the window, the room suddenly became light and airy.

Looking at the drapes, he contemplated what to do with them. Then a big smile lit his face. He would personally take them to the laundry because he wanted to thank the ladies for helping him in his plight. After all, they could have thrown the bug thingy away and told no one. A shiver passed through him, what was it about him and bugs in the Pegasus Galaxy anyway? He was beginning to acquire a genuine phobia.

Twenty minutes later, John entered the laundry room to find Alison Gibson busy emptying one of the large machines. He coughed slightly to let her know that he was there.

Alison got up and turned, wanting to give the intruder an earful for making her jump but the instant she saw it was Sheppard, her face lit up. "Oh my, Colonel, it's…umm…good to see you up and about. Are you feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you," John replied with a big grin, "I…err…wanted to thank you for handing the bug over to Dr. Beckett. I guess without that find, I would be dead."

Alison looked at him shyly. "You're more than welcome, Colonel. Thank goodness Mary Harper found the thing still in your sleeping bag."

John tried to remember who that was but he couldn't put a face to the name. "Mary Harper?"

"Yes, pretty young women who used to work here but after her help, Dr. Weir transferred her to do office work. That's what she was trained for anyway."

John nodded. "Well, I guess our paths will cross sometime and then I can thank her personally."

Alison smiled thinking that would please Mary. "Yes, I'm sure she'd like that," she answered him. "Now what have you got in that bag?"

John looked down at the bag he'd almost forgotten about. "Oh, these are some drapes from my quarters, I think they're somewhat gray looking so I…"

"You want them washed?"

"Yeah, but there's no hurry, I can sleep without them."

"I'm sure you can, Colonel, but I'll get them back to you as soon as possible." Alison told him just as her new assistant came out of the back room. John thanked her and ambled out.

"Who was that?" murmured the assistant with an appreciative sigh.

"A little more respect, girl. That was Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, military head of this city and all round nice guy."

"Umm…a yummy one too," the girl said wistfully.

_Oh, no,_ Alison thought, _here we go again._

-SGA-

Several days later, John's drapes still hadn't arrived back in his quarters. However, like he'd told Alison Gibson, he could sleep without them but the morning light falling on his face from the window behind his bed, kept waking him an hour or so earlier than normal.

Therefore, he had the option of either chasing up his drapes or moving his bed. Moving the bed seemed the better option, so he assigned the afternoon for a major change about. It would give him something to do anyway because reading and inactivity was slowly driving him up the wall. This morning, he had wanted to go to Menzur with Ronon, Teyla, and a few medical personnel to deliver some antitoxin and the instructions on how to produce it, and of course, Galen's payment, but Carson had flatly refused to let him go. So after a quick lunch with Rodney, he excused himself and headed back to his quarters.

Firstly, he tidied things away, placing smaller objects like his surfboard, guitar, skateboard, and the like against the wall that would stay the same. Then he moved his table over to the opposite side, followed by other pieces of furniture until only the bed was left. He dragged the bed, which wasn't very heavy and repositioned it so that the window was on the right hand side. After he was satisfied with that, he started reconnecting his computer, followed by his other things and was so busy that he failed to notice Elizabeth standing by his door until she spoke up.

"I wondered what all the noise was. Doing a major clear up?"

John looked over to her and smiled. "Yeah, long time overdue."

Elizabeth hadn't been near his quarters for quite a while. She shuddered as she recalled the events of the retrovirus conversion when his room had seemed so dark. "Well, I must say it looks brighter in here even without the lights on," she observed.

John laughed a sound Elizabeth loved to hear. "Yeah, it makes quite a difference without the drapes."

Elizabeth moved over to the window and looked at the lovely view. "And you can see the sea better without them."

"Yep that's true. Wonderful view isn't it?"

Elizabeth nodded absentmindedly. "So are you going to put them back up?"

John looked puzzled "Them back? Oh, you mean the drapes."

"Yes," Elizabeth answered wondering what else he thought she meant.

"Maybe, it depends on whether I still keep waking up from too much light in the room. Normally, I can sleep whenever and anywhere when necessary but these last few mornings, the sun beaming directly on my face has woken me up early. That's why I've moved the bed."

Elizabeth looked at him, soaking in the fact that he was alive and back to his normal healthy looking self. "And you're sleeping alright apart from that?" she questioned.

John turned to her and gave a little snort. "I'm good. No problems there."

"That's good to hear." Elizabeth replied somewhat aggravated by his usual reluctance to talk.

John must have sensed her frustration as he sighed loudly. "Look, I'm sleeping better since I've been back in my own quarters. Never could sleep very well in the infirmary anyway. They keep the place too darn warm for my liking."

Elizabeth smiled at that but before she could say anything, John continued. "I know you're worried about my…err…feelings over this whole matter but to tell you the truth, I still can't remember much. I only remember being sick and feeling very ill. Then there was pain, lots of it but it's somewhat vague, unclear. Carson said that being in a coma probably allowed my body and mind to heal somewhat. He said a certain amount of amnesia is normal, it's almost as if the mind doesn't want to remember what the body went through, so it's been sort of down classified. Not that I want to ever go through that kind of pain again."

"And I hope you never have to, John." Elizabeth whispered.

"I do remember…" John hesitated looking suddenly unsure and embarrassed. "I…I remember you holding me and feeling somehow secure. It's vague but the warmth of your friendship, everyone's friendship kept me going."

Elizabeth looked at him face on. "I'm glad we could help, it was a natural thing to do."

"Thanks, it means a lot to me."

"I know it does, John. We're all family aren't we?"

"Yeah, the closest I've had since…" He broke off and moved over to the mysterious picture of his younger self with a kindly looking man. Picking it up, he began to speak softly. "You asked me once if this was my father and I told you no." He paused again still unsure whether to tell Elizabeth but eventually, he found the courage to continue. "His name was Tom Richardson, flight instructor and mentor to a lonely boy. He encouraged me to look to the sky and reach for the stars."

John didn't say anymore, so Elizabeth gently encouraged him. "What happened to him?"

"Died far too young. Damn cancer," he muttered, and Elizabeth heard a distinctive catch in his throat.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah, it's a long time ago." John looked wistfully out of the window. "I wonder what Tom would say if he knew I'd reached the stars?"

Elizabeth moved over and touched his arm lightly. "I'm sure he would be very proud."

John turned to her and smiled. "Yeah, especially as I keep getting into trouble, just like when I was a kid."

Elizabeth laughed, "A real hand full then?"

"Yep, I gave my father plenty of reasons to shout at me and believe me, he did."

John didn't say anymore so Elizabeth left it at that, at least he'd opened up a little, even if it was like extracting a tooth but it was far more than she'd expected. "Well, I'll leave you to your rearranging."

"Oh, I've nearly finished just a few small details and the replacement of that stuff," he said, pointing to his surfboard and things. "I've been meaning to ask you about the Athosian. What happened to him? Teyla's been kind of reluctant to talk about it."

"I think she feels responsible for his actions."

John looked alarmed. "That's crazy. From what I heard, the guy was obsessed with her and acted out of jealous rage."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, that's what Kate said but convincing Teyla is another matter. She feels that if she'd acted differently things may have been otherwise."

"I don't see how but I'll speak to her about it when she's ready. So what happened to him?" John asked again.

"Kate has been giving him medication and it seems to have worked. He went back to the mainland several weeks ago and has integrated back into the society. Kate is keeping an eye on him but he'll have to take the medication for the rest of his life by the looks of things. Hopefully, he won't cause anymore trouble." Elizabeth answered.

"Does he know I've recovered?"

"Yes, Teyla has kept nothing from him and apparently, he even seems a little remorseful about his actions."

John looked a little doubtful, "That could be the case, but I think I'll avoid the guy."

Elizabeth nodded slowly. "From what Kate has told me, Davon probably won't have acted on his hatred if Kavanagh hadn't of intervened." Elizabeth's loathing of the scientist came through in her next sentence. "That awful man used Davon's sick mind to carry out his own devious plans. I hope he gets what's coming to him."

"Still no news then?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm afraid not. He's only been on earth for eight days and I don't think they really know what to do with him."

John turned to meet her eyes. "He'll pay for his crime one day, Elizabeth, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe, but I keep thinking that if only I hadn't…"

John interrupted her. "Look we've been through all this before. None of this was your fault. You have to let go of your guilt or the creep will have won." John reached out and touched her arm lightly. "It's over with, Elizabeth, and he's out of your hair forever."

Elizabeth suddenly felt her mood lighten. "Make that our hair, John. He was a bad choice from the beginning and may I add, not my choice. SGC recommended him and I just went along with it."

John went to open his mouth to say something when the door chime suddenly sounded. As he moved over to answer it, Elizabeth slipped into the shadows, as she didn't think it would look good if it were not one of the team.

Passing his hand over the controls, John let the portal open and came face to face with the laundry superintendent. "Oh, what can I do for you, Miss Gibson?" he asked politely.

John expected her usual straightforward answer but she looked at him somewhat sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, Colonel, but there's been an accident with your drapes."

"What kind of accident?"

"An accident of the holey kind," she answered quickly.

"And they're beyond repair?" John asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Err…yes."

"Well, I'm not going to asked how the accident occurred but I guess they were older than I thought."

"A lot older," Alison murmured. "Try ten thousand years and they didn't like our washing power."

John chuckled. "Then I guess I'll have to live without them."

Alison still looked sheepish. "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. You people do a good job."

"Why thank you, Colonel." Alison commented as she turned to go.

"You're welcome!" John called after her.

As soon as John closed the door, Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Well, it looks like you'll be curtain less for a while at least."

"Yeah, it does look that way, doesn't it?

"We could always get some sent from Earth?" Elizabeth put in.

"Or I could get someone to knock up a pair using the camouflage material we have in plentiful supply."

"You can't sew?"

John held up his hands. "Two left hands."

"I could make you some but it could take years."

John looked at her longingly and smiled. "I can wait."

"I'm sure you can," Elizabeth whispered. She met his gaze for several long heartbeats and there was no doubt in her mind that she loved him, but no matter what she may feel, she needed to keep a professional distance for the good of the expedition and for John's sake. She was sure that John would agree.

Kavanagh's words had disturbed her somewhat. Did she really show more concern for John than she did for others? She didn't think so, at least she tried not to make a preference, but it was difficult as John had made a habit of finding trouble quicker than a magnet. The very nature of his job meant that he was first in the line of fire and she knew he'd have it no other way. She didn't fight the SGC to have John by her side as a lover, no matter what Kavanagh may have accused. But then again, his accusations had been partially based on jealousy of Sheppard, but she secretly wondered how many other people felt the same way?

No, she could not, would not, stop worrying about him every time he was late or injured, and she vowed to protect him whenever she could. John was a good friend, her companion in leadership, and her protector. They had been through to much together to make it otherwise, and what wasn't there to love about John.

Quickly breaking eye contact, she murmured. "Well, I still have plenty of paperwork to do, so I'd best get back to my office."

John simply nodded and as she walked to his door, she felt his eyes follow her. Quickly opening the portal, she turned and whispered. "It's so good to have you well again."

John smiled and watched her go until she was out of hearing range. "I love you, too," he murmured softly

tbc

_The idea for this chapter came about after watching certain season three episodes and wondering why John's drapes have gone. I'm sure the room is the same one from season two but everything is moved around. Hope you enjoyed it and please review. I've decided to write an epilogue and it should be posted soon. _


	18. Epilogue: Justice Comes in Many Forms

_I wasn't going to write anymore after the last chapter but I decided that the story needed some closure. Be warned that this part contains spoilers for Common Ground and Phantoms. _

Epilogue: Justice Comes in Many Forms

Elizabeth looked towards the balcony where she'd seen Sheppard disappear to about fifteen minutes ago. She would give him the solitude that he obviously needed for a few more minutes. However, she desperately wanted to talk to him about a communiqué that Caldwell had just given her.

Today had been hard on everyone but she knew that John was carrying a heavy burden of guilt over his actions and as Carson had told her not so long ago, he was also suffering from delayed shock. Maybe her news would help but then again, maybe not.

Taking a calming breath, she stepped into the cool night air and looked at him as he stared out across the vast ocean. John didn't turn to acknowledge her presence, choosing to remaining silent and deep in thought.

"It wasn't your fault," Elizabeth quietly reassured.

"Yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me but it doesn't change the fact that I nearly killed him."

She moved over and lightly touched his arm. "But you didn't."

"No, thank god. I don't think I could ever have forgiven myself if I had. That would have been it, end of career, end of life."

"John, look at me!" Elizabeth commanded. He reluctantly turned his pain-ridden eyes towards her. "It could have just as easily have been the other way round. It could have been Rodney who shot you or Ronon. Would you have wanted them to give up if they had?"

"Heck no."

"Exactly! You were under the influence of that Wraith machine and you truly thought you were back in Afghanistan. It wasn't your fault," she repeated. "If anyone's to blame it's the Genii for interfering with the machine."

John looked at her and smiled for the first time since returning from M1B-129. "Damn Genii," he whispered.

"Yes, damn Genii." Elizabeth agreed.

They remained silent for several long minutes both deep in thought. Indeed, Elizabeth had many reasons to curse the Genii or at least one in particular. Kolya, how she loathed that name. Kolya and Kavanagh, two hateful men who had tried to take John away from them - away from her. She still remembered many months ago, not long after Kavanagh's attempt on John's life, when she had told him that she hoped he would never have to go through pain like that again. How wrong had she been because Kolya had put John through a hell equal to Kavanagh's as he allowed a Wraith to feed upon him, and she had failed to protect John, refusing to give in to Kolya's demands. Nevertheless, John had managed survived yet again, even though Kolya had escaped to remain a threat. That was one thing Kavanagh would never be again.

Elizabeth broke the silence when she suddenly announced. "I've been coward, John." He looked at her, puzzled. "I received a communiqué about a week ago from SGC, but I just couldn't bring myself to tell you. Then the whole business with Major Leonard's team took priority and I didn't want to tell you anything that could distract you from the mission, so I left it."

"Yeah, we had enough distractions as it was."

Elizabeth met his eyes. "Yes, you certainly did. Anyway, the communiqué informed me that Kavanagh had been sentenced…"

"Don't tell me…he got two years, right?" John interrupted.

Elizabeth nodded. "Nearly. After he had threatened to expose the whole Stargate programme, they made a deal and he got two and a half years in a psychiatric unit."

"Just great! That's justice for ya, but I might have guessed to come off lightly he would threaten them ."

Elizabeth nodded. "Justice comes in many forms, John, and a wise man once told me that he'll pay for his crime one day."

John gave her a curious look. "Why do I get the feeling there's more to this?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Caldwell has just given me another communiqué. It would seem that Kavanagh was found dead in his room a few days ago."

John was stunned for a moment but when the feeling passed, he could have jumped for joy and skipped around the balcony but instead, he quietly asked. "He upset another inmate?"

Elizabeth smiled at John's reasoning. "Not exactly. The psychiatric unit where he was being held was located in Phoenix. Apparently, they were allowed to exercise in an outdoor area whenever they wanted. Kavanagh came in one afternoon complaining that he had been bitten by something. Nobody took him seriously because it would seem that he was still suffering from the occasional hallucination and naturally, they thought that he was making it all up. It turns out that he wasn't as he must have been bitten by a black widow spider and actually died from it, which in itself is a very rare occurrence in an adult. According to the report, he had a severe reaction to the bite, and by the time they noticed, he was already dead."

"Thank God," John murmured before closing his eyes for a minute. For some stupid reason, he suddenly felt cheated, as Kavanagh's death seemed too fitting, too simple. He didn't like to think that it may have been a definite case of neglect and he vaguely wondered what Kavanagh's family had been told. However, he pushed the feelings aside and whispered. "It does seem that justice comes in many forms but he got what he deserved."

Elizabeth wanted to hug him and give comfort but she resisted the urge. "Yes, John. He's gone forever now and can never harm you again."

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I just wish I could say the same about Kolya."

Elizabeth looked at him earnestly. "I know, but one day he'll pay for his crimes too."

"Yeah, I hope you're right."

Elizabeth lightly touched his arm again and murmured softy. "I'm sure of it. Now are you going to be alright?"

John smiled down at her. "I'm good."

THE END

_I hope you didn't find Kavanagh's death to clichéd and convenient. I guess if TPTB decide to bring back Kavanagh sometime then this story would become a AU. Hope you enjoyed it and please review. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews. I cannot believe I received over 200. Bye for now until the plot bunny strikes again. _


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